The Mamdani–Jeffries Proxy War

Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Mamdani at a polling location during early voting in New York, June 2026. Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
June 22, 2026

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Wunderkind mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political influence will be seriously tested tomorrow when the three far-left New York congressional candidates he has endorsed—Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, and Brad Lander—face off in competitive primaries, including against two Hakeem Jeffries–approved institutionalists.