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The primary victories of leftist Democratic congressional candidates in New York came as some leaders were urging the party to move to the center to broaden its appeal.
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The president had a lengthy and angry exchange with Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and lit into other Republicans who voted to check his war powers.
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(Second column, 4th story, link)
Related stories:
MAMDANI SWEEP!
SOCIALISTS RISING...
'EARTHQUAKE'...
Pro-Israel politics takes huge hit in New York...
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A wave of progressive candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won big in New York last night. DSA members Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated two Democratic Party establishment picks for Congress, Antonio Reynoso and five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat. Other DSA candidates, including Palestinian American Aber Kawas, running for New York state Senate, notched wins further downballot. And Mamdani-backed candidate Brad Lander defeated Dan Goldman, another congressional incumbent.
Darializa Avila Chevalier joins Democracy Now! in her first live broadcast interview since her upset win. After weathering a vicious and often racist campaign conducted by her AIPAC-funded opponent Espaillat, Avila Chevalier is projected to become the first Dominican American woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, representing New York's 13th Congressional District.
"Americans are tired of this politics of death, politics of cynicism, and want to make sure that our resources are coming back to our communities and investing in the life and the needs of the people here," says Avila Chevalier, a former student organizer at Columbia University who has been active in the pro-Palestine and immigrant rights movements for over a decade. She credits part of her decision to run to her experience advocating for fellow student and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil's release from federal ICE detention last year. "When I was first considering whether or not this was a race that I wanted to throw my hat in, I just kept thinking about Mahmoud and the millions of people like him and [Khalil's wife] Noor, who are so fearful right now, and what it would have meant to them to have a representative who was actually fighting for them."
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Today is Election Day in New York, with a number of primary challengers hoping to unseat Democratic establishment politicians. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have a packed slate of 10 candidates across congressional, state Assembly and state Senate races. "People are really looking for something else other than these corporate Democrats," says Liza Featherstone, author and columnist for Jacobin. Describing the DSA as a key part of the "grassroots base" of the left wing of the Democratic Party, Featherstone says DSA members want elected leaders who have come out of movements themselves, not just lifelong politicians who only turn to movements for endorsements every four years.
Palestine is a key issue in many of the races, with DSA challengers taking a strong stand against genocide, while some incumbents have received large donations from AIPAC-linked super PACs. "People are absolutely disgusted with the U.S. relationship with Israel, absolutely appalled by the killing that we've seen," says Featherstone. Today's primary results will show to what extent the DSA is seen as a genuine alternative to the establishment wing of the Democratic Party.
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New York leaders changed state immigration laws to hold federal agents accountable for their deportation tactics, but their efforts will face opposition from the Trump administration.
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