Zohran Mamdani has moved from city politics into the congressional map, endorsing three candidates in New York races and putting his growing movement behind contests that could reshape the city’s voice in Washington. He backed former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander against Rep. Dan Goldman, state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and activist Darializa Avila Chevalier against Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
The timing was not subtle. The three candidates appeared with Mamdani in an ad that ran Wednesday after Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, a window that gave the endorsements immediate reach and a fresh audience. Mamdani told viewers, “New York, we know anything is possible with a great team,” then added, “Get out and vote, this is the team. This is our year.”
The pitch was plain. Mamdani said his choices “will fight for everyday working New Yorkers; they’ll take on corporate greed and protect our immigrant communities” and make sure residents “can afford the city they love.” That message is aimed at voters in districts split between Manhattan and Brooklyn, Brooklyn and Queens, and the Bronx and Manhattan — places where Mamdani was able to rout former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November. In two of the races, his preferred candidates are in their 30s.
What makes the move more than an endorsement roll call is the fight it sets off inside the left. The contests are being framed as tests between progressives and democratic socialists ahead of the next presidential election cycle, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the center of each one. Voters in these races are also weighing questions such as whether candidates describe Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a genocide or refuse donations from groups or individuals associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
That is where the gamble shows. Mamdani’s allies call the endorsements a bold move, but Rebecca Katz said, “This is high-risk, high reward,” and “He’s not afraid to take some big swings.” Darializa Avila Chevalier struck a similar note on Friday at a press conference in Harlem, telling supporters, “[H]ere’s what the establishment never understood about Uptown and the Bronx” before declaring, “We don’t wait for permission.”
The endorsements give Mamdani a louder stake in three crowded New York congressional races, but they also make his movement more exposed if the candidates fall short. For now, the clearest measure of his influence is that he has put his name and his campaign style behind challengers in three districts at once — and asked voters to treat that as a political team worth betting on.
