Overview
- Early voting for the June 23 Democratic primary began on June 13, turning attention to who can mobilize voters in Harlem, Morningside Heights, Washington Heights and the western Bronx.
- A Mercury Public Affairs poll conducted June 9–11 for a pro‑Espaillat group showed Rep. Adriano Espaillat leading 35% to 27% while 38% of likely primary voters remained undecided.
- House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and several prominent Black Harlem officials formally backed Espaillat as Mayor Zohran Mamdani, DSA and national progressive groups pushed for Darializa Avila Chevalier.
- More than $3 million in outside spending has poured into the race with a late $112,000 donor surge to Espaillat from largely pro‑Israel contributors and pro‑Espaillat super PACs running heavy ads for the incumbent.
- Chevalier’s recovered campus activism and social‑media posts from her Columbia years have become a central line of attack and shaped coverage of the contest even as DSA and Justice Democrats continue to mobilize grassroots support.