Mamdani-backed socialists look to take New York playbook nationwide after primary victories
DSA-backed Melat Kiros challenges 30-year incumbent Diana DeGette in Denver's solidly blue district on Tuesday
Paul Steinhauser By Paul Steinhauser Fox News
Published June 29, 2026 5:00am EDT | Updated June 29, 2026 5:23am EDT
Hours after their ballot box victories in a handful of congressional primaries in New York City, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) set their sights west.
"Today, the East Coast, next week the Mountain West," the DSA wrote in a social media post last week.
The post came after DSA-aligned Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old far-left community organizer, ousted incumbent Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair, and state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, another socialist, won a congressional primary by beating an establishment-backed candidate.
The victories by Chevalier and Valdez, who were heavily supported by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, further emboldened the far left as it takes on the center-left establishment in a high-stakes battle for the future of the Democratic Party.
Mamdani and endorsed candidates in NY primary
Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, congressional candidate Brad Lander, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King's Theater on June 18, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The DSA is now looking to replicate its playbook across the country, starting Tuesday in the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st Congressional District, a solidly blue seat anchored in Denver that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried by a whopping 56 points in the 2024 election.
Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who was first elected to Congress three decades ago, is facing two primary challenges, including DSA-backed Melat Kiros, a first-time candidate and former attorney born four months after DeGette first took office.
Kiros, who lost her job as a lawyer in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, is also supported by Justice Democrats, the nearly decade-old political group known for heavily supporting "Squad" members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib as they toppled entrenched incumbents in their initial elections to Congress.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdani-backed-socialists-look-take-new-york-playbook-nationwide-after-primary-victories
