Democratic Socialists declare victory in New York Midterms, solidify a strong bloc of working class leadership in state and federal government
Massive victory elects New York State’s largest bloc of socialist state legislators ever and sends two more socialists to Congress
For immediate release
Contact: press@socialists.nyc, (347) 204-7223
New York, NY – New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) have achieved another historic victory in New York. A year after electing democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani Mayor of New York City, a sweeping majority of NYC-DSA candidates have won their races for seats in both the state legislature and Congress.
Claire Valdez emerged as the winner in NY 7 after a contentious race that attracted millions in spending, including hundreds of thousands from big real estate, while Darializa Avila Chevalier made history unseating AIPAC-backed Adriano Espaillat in NY 13. Avila Chevalier will be the first Afro-Latina to represent NY 13, the congressional district representing uptown Manhattan and Kingsbridge in the Bronx.
Valdez and Avila Chevalier will join a growing bloc of democratic socialists in Congress. In recent months, candidates backed by DSA across the country won their primaries, including in swing states like Pennsylvania, further cementing DSA’s role as the leader of the left.
In addition to winning both congressional races, NYC-DSA expanded its bloc of democratic socialists in the New York State legislature. Out of the organization’s 9 endorsed state level insurgent candidates, 8 advanced to the general election. With these victories and the election of NYC-DSA endorsed Adam Bojak of Buffalo, Albany’s socialist bloc has grown to 14, making it the largest socialist bloc ever to serve in the New York state legislature.
“The movement that powered Zohran Mamdani’s upset over Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral race last year has come full circle and elected its own organizers to Congress and Albany,” said Grace Mausser, NYC-DSA Co-Chair. “These victories prove that democratic socialists are building a winning coalition. While the Democratic establishment and MAGA fascists ignore the needs of working people, democratic socialists are speaking to the ever-growing base of voters demanding we end war, abolish ICE, tax the rich, and win universal healthcare. New Yorkers looking for a better life know that democratic socialist politicians stand with them.”
“For generations, workers have been stuck with a Democratic party establishment selling us out to billionaires, landlords, and warmongers,” said Gustavo Gordillo, NYC-DSA Co-Chair. “After 10 years of building power here in New York, our movement is proving that democratic socialists do more than run winning campaigns — we govern with greater competence and we actually deliver on our promises. New Yorkers are seeing what democratic socialists can do for them in office, and the results are clear: they want more socialist leadership.”
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NYC-DSA Co-Chairs Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo are available for interviews and general comment about Tuesday’s election results. Please reach out to press@socialists.nyc to schedule an interview or request a comment.