As a temperature check on the Democratic Party’s base, last night’s election results clearly show that the energy in the party once again rests with the populist left. Democratic socialists swept to victory last night in New York City’s primary election, defeating other progressives and establishment Democrats alike in a major show of force coming right in the backyard of the Democratic Party’s centrist leadership.
Across the three marquee races of the night, Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates ran the board. In New York’s Seventh District, state assembly member Claire Valdez led Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a Working Families Party-endorsed progressive, by roughly 19 points as of Wednesday morning. And, in the closely watched 13th District, community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier led Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the House Hispanic Caucus, by roughly 3.5 points.
