Primary elections in the US are a test of the relative strength of intra-party factions. On the Republican side, the fight is between Trump and anti-Trump (or at least non-Trump) factions and the Trump side has been clearly dominant. On the Democratic side, the fight is between new and younger progressives on the one hand and the old guard favored by the party establishment led by their senate leader Chuck Schumer and their House leader Hakeem Jeffries on the other.

Yesterday’s primaries were a resounding win for the progressives. In New York, progressive candidates won their races.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani waded into Democratic U.S. House primaries to boost three progressives over establishment-backed candidates. All of them won Tuesday, defeating two incumbents and essentially ensuring that two self-described democratic socialists will be elected to Congress in their deep blue districts.

The mayor said it was a question of electing “better Democrats” who would “put working people back at the heart of politics.” The approach consternated some in Democratic leadership, but the outcome showcased Mamdani’s rising influence.
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When Mamdani took the stage in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, the crowd chanted “DSA,” the initials for the Democratic Socialists of America.

It was just the latest sign of an ascendant political movement, and two of the candidates successfully backed by Mamdani are democratic socialists.
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In the primary for retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s seat, state Assembly Member Claire Valdez beat out Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Valdez was endorsed by Mamdani, and Reynoso was endorsed by Velázquez.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat lost his bid for reelection to Darializa Avila Chevalier, another Mamdani-backed democratic socialist. Avila Chevalier hasn’t held public office before and once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.

A third candidate backed by Mamdani, former city comptroller Brad Lander, defeated U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman by running to his political left. The race partly revolved around the war in Gaza, with Lander assailing Goldman for not being critical enough of Israel.

All three victors are expected to win their blue districts, which would also place three Mamdani allies in Congress come January.

I am particularly enthused by Darializa Avila Chevalier, a young woman in the mold of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who won her primary easily. She could be a significant force in the party’s future. It will not be long before she is also known by just her initials DAC.

While Mamdani’s support is being claimed to be a major factor in these wins, I think it being oversold. The large and youthful cadre of enthusiastic volunteers that came into existence through his candidacy undoubtedly helped. But I think it was was their progressive stances and willingness to adopt the socialist label that carried the day for these candidates and it must be causing the Democratic party leadership to quiver in their shoes. All of them were sharp critics of Israel’s genocidal actions, something that the party leadership has shied away from.

Meanwhile, in red state Utah, a newly drawn congressional district resulted in former congressman Ben McAdams winning but only by shifting to a more progressive stance from the ones he held before.

For decades, Democrats’ only chance of getting elected to Congress from the conservative state of Utah was by convincing voters that they were sensible moderates, not like the zealous progressives from California or Colorado.

But the political landscape has changed, thanks to a redistricting shakeup that created a deep blue district anchored by Salt Lake City. Suddenly, congressional candidates are trying to outflank each other on the left in an unusual race that could help determine whether Democrats take back control of the U.S. House in the midterms.

Exhibit A is Ben McAdams, a former congressman who once described himself as pro-life and voted against a federal minimum wage increase. As he mounts a comeback campaign in a much more Democratic district, he pledged his support for abortion rights and raising the minimum wage during a recent forum for young voters.

As primary opponents criticized McAdams as the most conservative among them, he insisted that he’s only “moderate in tone.”

It’s a far different approach than McAdams used in 2018, when he ousted a Republican incumbent in the midterms of President Donald Trump’s first term. While representing the southwest Salt Lake Valley and parts of deep-red Utah County in the former 4th district, he was considered the most conservative House Democrat during his single term by one analysis, before losing reelection to a Republican.

I am suspicious of politicians who have these ‘death-bed’ conversions when they sense sense that the direction of the political wind has shifted. They can easily revert to their former positions once in office and become like senator John Fetterman in becoming allies of the Republicans in congress if their feet are not held to the fire.

Now it remains to be seen if theDemocratic party leadership throws its full support behind these people to get them elected and thus gain the coveted majorities in Congress or whether they hold back for fear of strengthening the progressive wing, and choosing to continue as a minority party and retaining their oligarchic support.. Holding back will be a dangerous strategy since those candidates are riding a wave of youthful energy and will likely win anyway.