Key facts
- Progressive candidates critical of U.S. support for Israel won key Democratic primaries in New York.
- These candidates defeated incumbents, partly by campaigning against donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).
- The victories highlight significant internal divisions within the Democratic Party over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
- Hakeem Jeffries congratulated the four winners, two of whom had declined to support him as House speaker.
- The issue of Israel's actions in Gaza has become a critical factor for progressive voters.
Progressive candidates critical of U.S. support for Israel have secured significant victories in New York Democratic primaries, signaling a growing divide within the party over the conflict in Gaza. These wins, largely driven by opposition to U.S. funding for Israel and criticism of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), have sent shockwaves through the Democratic establishment.
Key among these victories was doctoral student Darializa Avila Chevalier's narrow defeat of five-term Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who had accepted Aipac donations. Similarly, state assembly member Claire Valdez won her primary, campaigning on a platform more opposed to Israel than her opponent. Congressman Dan Goldman also lost his primary to Brad Lander, who explicitly stated his intention to be a vocal advocate for Palestinian human rights and criticized President Biden's "hug-Bibi strategy" as a "catastrophic failure" that made the U.S. "complicit in genocide."
These results underscore how the issue of Israel's actions in Gaza, which has led to protesters decrying Biden as "Genocide Joe," continues to shape electoral races. The determination by human rights groups and a UN commission that Israel's actions could constitute genocide has made the stance on this issue a critical factor for progressive voters. Usamah Andrabi, a spokesman for Justice Democrats, stated that these wins demonstrate the progress of their movement against lobbies like Aipac.
US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries congratulated the four winners, noting their diverse backgrounds and stating the need to address the affordability crisis and crush far-right extremism. However, two of the winners, Chevalier and Valdez, have declined to support Jeffries as House speaker should Democrats regain control of the chamber. Supporters at Valdez's election night event chanted "you're next" when Jeffries appeared on a screen, signaling a willingness to challenge establishment Democrats.