Power & Politics: Primary results; clean sweep for Mamdani-backed candidates in NYC's Democratic Primary
Democratic candidate in the 1st Congressional District Chris Gallant and Political Analyst Mike Dawidziak join the show this week.
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A series of primaries came to a close and set the stage for this fall's election. There were four congressional races, a town supervisor race and a primary for state comptroller.
Two young Democrats faced off for New York's 1st Congressional District, which spans Long Island from Huntington to Montauk. Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the state Army National Guard and former air traffic controller Chris Gallant took the win over Lukas Ventouras. Gallant will face incumbent Republican Rep. Nick Lalota in November.
Gallant grew up in Smithtown and now lives in Amityville.
It was a clean sweep for progressive candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and not one of them were the party's choice.
Progressive challenger and former city comptroller Brad Lander defeated two-term incumbent Dan Goldman in the Congressional 10th District.
Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier delivered the biggest upset by beating Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who is in his fifth term.
Another Democratic socialist, State Assembly Member Claire Valdez, defeated the handpicked successor of retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
The sweep sends a potential message to Democratic leaders who fear Mamdani and his loyalists may push the party too far left ahead of the November elections.
A new Siena poll says Gov. Kathy Hochul's lead over Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is up in the race for governor. Her lead is now 20 points, up from 16 points in April.
Voters are still largely in partisan lanes, with three-quarters of Democrats vowing to vote with Hochul, and the same number of Republicans with Blakeman.
Pollsters say Hochul has a 3-to-1 lead in the city, has widened her lead in the downstate suburbs but is virtually tied with Blakeman upstate.
