Overview
- Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a high-profile Brooklyn rally to boost Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in competitive Democratic primaries.
- Mamdani has formally endorsed all three candidates and Sanders has endorsed Lander and Valdez, signaling coordinated national support for an insurgent progressive slate.
- Opponents criticized the event as hypocritical because of heavy outside spending and Super PAC involvement, citing Sanders’s past opposition to such funding.
- The races, two of which challenge incumbent members of Congress, are nationally watched and head to a primary on Tuesday, June 23, with early voting already under way.
- The push builds on Mamdani’s 2025 upset and DSA-aligned momentum, and it could reshape the party’s direction and messaging on worker rights, affordability and immigration if turnout favors the challengers.