Key facts
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared advance notice of their endorsement plans for New York primaries.
- Mamdani's endorsements included Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez.
- Ocasio-Cortez endorsed three candidates against state Assembly incumbents.
- The coordination aimed to maximize their collective political influence.
- Mamdani's endorsements of candidates challenging incumbents risked his legislative goodwill in Albany.
- Ocasio-Cortez's endorsements risked alienating colleagues in the New York congressional delegation.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged in a coordinated strategy of sharing advance notice on their primary endorsement plans in New York, a collaboration that has not been previously reported. This close communication stream allowed the two progressives to maximize their collective influence while avoiding potential conflicts with legislative leadership in Washington and Albany.
Mamdani informed Ocasio-Cortez of his intention to endorse Darializa Avila Chevalier for Congress, a move that blindsided incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who had expected Mamdani's support. Chevalier ultimately defeated Espaillat. Mamdani also shared his endorsements for Brad Lander's campaign against Rep. Dan Goldman and Claire Valdez's bid for retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s seat.
In turn, Ocasio-Cortez, who opted out of endorsing in New York City congressional primaries this cycle, alerted Mamdani before backing three democratic socialist candidates challenging state Assembly incumbents. All of her endorsed candidates were victorious.
The coordination was described as a means to supplement each other's efforts. Mamdani, who did not endorse against state-level incumbents, relies on support from Albany leaders like Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for his legislative agenda. Endorsing against members of Heastie's Democratic supermajority could have jeopardized his standing. Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, could have strained relationships with her New York congressional colleagues, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, by endorsing against incumbents like Espaillat and Goldman.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also solicited advice from Mamdani regarding candidate endorsements. Mamdani encouraged Sanders to support the full Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) slate, which led to at least two more DSA members joining Congress and at least 15 DSA members securing state legislative seats. However, Sanders did not formally endorse Avila Chevalier due to controversial social media posts, and Ocasio-Cortez notably did not endorse Conrad Blackburn, who ran against Assemblymember Jordan Wright.
Allies of Espaillat, such as New York Attorney General Letitia James, criticized Mamdani's endorsed candidates. There is also a risk that Hakeem Jeffries could use his influence in the 2028 redistricting process to penalize Mamdani-endorsed congressional candidates. Democratic strategist Yvette Buckner suggested the coordination signals a growing strength of the progressive faction within the Democratic Party.