Mamdani Tightens the Squeeze on the Israeli Lobby and Opens the Door for Its Critics

“There are mini Mamdanis popping up all around the country. It is a dangerous thing—this is not a joke. We are in a fight right now to save the Republic, and every American needs to take this seriously.”

That was the reaction of hardline Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson after four Democrats endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primary races, expressing his horror at the results. 

The same horror was reflected in the Israeli Occupation press. The victorious candidates were all supporters of Palestine who defeated candidates who supported the Israeli Occupation, despite the Zionist lobby AIPAC spending nearly $40 million to support their campaigns. They lost anyway.

What particularly unsettled Israeli Occupation supporters was that three of the Democratic winners unseated incumbent members of Congress, while a Palestinian candidate won the race for New York State Senate's 12th District.

The victors also included two Muslim women and a moderate Jewish candidate critical of Israeli Occupation policies, who defeated a staunchly pro-”Israel” Jewish incumbent.

The Democratic primaries for the House of Representatives therefore carried significance far beyond local politics. Not only did every candidate endorsed by New York City's new Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, win, but all of them are outspoken supporters of Palestine and critics of “Israel” and its war on Gaza.

New Yorkers wrote that the logic of voters who chose these four candidates was simple: If a politician cannot stand up to “Israel” over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, how can anyone trust them to stand up to oligarchs or corporate interests and defend ordinary people?

The current primary elections in both parties are widely seen as a political contest rivaling a presidential race in importance, while also reflecting the profound social, economic, and political shifts reshaping the United States.

Winners Against Israeli Occupation

The outcome amounted to a political earthquake that rattled the United States, “Israel,” and the American Jewish lobby, upending the balance of power within the Democratic Party and Congress.

The results suggested that Mamdani was not simply a lone progressive who rode a wave of enthusiasm to New York City's mayor's office. Instead, he has emerged as the face of a growing movement challenging the Zionist influence, particularly in New York, long regarded as a traditional center of Jewish political power.

Three progressive Democratic candidates, all united in their support for Palestine, their condemnation of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and their calls to end U.S. military aid to “Israel,” defeated three pro-Israeli Occupation rivals.

Two of them unseated sitting members of Congress who had received direct backing from AIPAC.

All three won Democratic primaries against AIPAC-backed candidates in their own districts, including New York's 10th Congressional District in Brooklyn, a stronghold with a deeply pro-”Israel” electorate where criticism of the Israeli Occupation has long faced fierce resistance.

American media described the victories of the three pro-Palestinian progressive candidates over incumbents backed by the Zionist lobby AIPAC as a political shock in the United States.

Among the winners was Darializa Avila Chevalier, a recent convert to Islam and a pro-Palestinian activist from Columbia University. She won the Democratic primary in New York's 13th Congressional District, covering Upper Manhattan, defeating incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

She said “inshallah” if she makes it to Congress, she wants to make sure to reflect her Muslim faith “in the halls of power.”

Aber Kawas, a Palestinian American Muslim, also won the race for New York State Senate District 12, becoming the first Palestinian American to reach the senior position in the state legislature.

Brad Lander, a progressive Jewish candidate who condemned “Israel’s” war on Gaza and criticized U.S. aid to the Israeli Occupation, defeated pro-”Israel” Jewish Congressman Dan Goldman in a landslide, winning 64 percent of the vote.

Claire Valdez, a Mamdani ally, won the Democratic primary in the 7th District, a progressive stronghold covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens, defeating Nydia Velazquez.

Velazquez has taken a clear position calling for an end to U.S. military aid to “Israel” and has been one of the most prominent pro-Palestinian voices within the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.

The irony, according to U.S. media, is that these winners rejected donations from AIPAC, unlike their opponents, and prevailed in heavily Jewish districts against Jewish candidates despite their criticism of “Israel.” Chants of “Free Palestine” echoed during their victory celebrations.

The results, American newspapers noted, suggest that the political landscape is shifting, with even some Jewish Americans beginning to say, “Enough.”

U.S. newspapers devoted extensive coverage to one of the biggest surprises of the Democratic primaries: Muslim candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier’s defeat of Congressman Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who was backed by the Zionist lobby.

According to Axios, a committee supporting Espaillat and linked to AIPAC’s United Democracy Project spent around $2.9 million backing his campaign. That spending, however, did not prevent the victory of a candidate who described “Israel’s” war on Gaza as genocide and called for an end to arms sales to the Israeli Occupation.

NBC reported that Avila, 32, framed her campaign as a challenge to a political establishment represented by the Trump administration, which spends billions on bombs and foreign wars while New Yorkers struggle with rising rents and food prices.

Avila’s political journey began in Nablus, where she was pursuing a doctorate in sociology at the City University of New York. Palestine drew her into politics and Islam, eventually leading her into a direct confrontation with an AIPAC-backed Democratic candidate.

According to City & State New York on June 23, 2026, the Palestinian cause pushed Avila to engage with issues including immigration policy, surveillance, and racial justice and later contributed to her decision to convert to Islam.

The outlet reported that she grew up in a largely Catholic family and gradually surrounded herself with Muslim friends and allies. During Ramadan in 2020, she decided to fast for the first time as an experiment and continued doing so in subsequent years.

In her fourth year of fasting, a friend asked her, “Where is this going? Are you planning to become Muslim or not?” According to the report, the question became a turning point that led her to embrace Islam.

Her victory sparked outrage among far-right media outlets, which portrayed her win as a victory for Hamas, mocked her conversion to Islam, and framed it as a triumph for Columbia University’s radical student movement, whose activists had called for divestment from “Israel” and faced crackdowns and arrests under the Trump administration.

For example, Reason described Avila on June 24, 2026, as the first Columbia campus radical in this Congress, claiming that a democratic socialist candidate who supports the destruction of Western civilization has just won a primary.

Overall, the victories of candidates critical of “Israel” over rivals backed by Jewish lobbies triggered a wave of alarm in Israeli Occupation media, which described the results as a “political storm in New York.”

Israel Hayom called the results a major blow to “Israel’s” supporters in New York, while Maariv described Mamdani as a king of kings who had shocked “Israel” under the headline: Mamdani Wave Knocks Down AIPAC and the Political Establishment.

The Jerusalem Post wrote, “New York Mayor Mamdani gets major primary wins, expanding democratic socialism in Democratic Party.”

A Political Earthquake

According to American analysts and reports, the results represent a political earthquake. Two sitting members of the House of Representatives lost their primary races to candidates who made criticism of “Israel” a central part of their campaigns and challenged the influence of political spending by the Jewish lobby.

AIPAC spent heavily to support its candidates, yet failed to protect two of its most prominent allies in New York, who were defeated.

Overall, 29 candidates won primary races across several states after refusing to accept any money from AIPAC. The results prompted the AIPAC Tracker platform to declare: The AIPAC era is over.

All 29 candidates belong to the U.S. Democratic Party, specifically its progressive wing, which opposes the influence of lobbying groups and “Israel’s” dominance over American politics.

By contrast, candidates backed by AIPAC lost in New York’s June 23, 2026, Democratic primaries after voters rejected pro-”Israel” lobbying groups accused of supporting “Israel’s” war on Gaza. The defeats represented a “major blow” to the American Jewish lobby that supports the Israeli Occupation.

The significance of the results also lies in what they revealed about the Democratic base—particularly young voters and progressives—who appear increasingly willing to punish politicians who support “Israel’s” aggression on Gaza.

Once, candidates who described “Israel’s” war on Gaza as genocide faced electoral backlash and defeat. Now, those who use that language are winning in major Democratic districts, and the trend is no longer limited to activists or academics.

If this momentum continues into the November 2026 midterm elections, it could mark a historic shift in the Democratic Party’s relationship with the Israeli Occupation, with far-reaching consequences for U.S. policy toward the Middle East in the years ahead.

That does not mean AIPAC’s financial influence has disappeared, especially in Republican-leaning southern districts with large evangelical Christian populations. But the losses suffered by its candidates in key races pushed the lobbying group to increase spending across multiple districts while also revealing a shift in the broader American political mood.

Before and after his election as mayor, Mamdani faced resistance from some Jewish voters in New York because of his criticism of “Israel.” Those tensions resurfaced when he described AIPAC as one of the “monsters” during a rally supporting his three candidates, referring to the group’s political spending.

In a speech that sparked controversy, he said, “Those monsters move millions of dollars in dark money to preserve their single goal: to divide us so they can hold on to power.”

‘Kingmaker’

CNN commented on the phenomenon and the victory of all candidates backed by Mamdani as a movement rather than a collection of individuals. In a June 24, 2026, report, it said that new political force Zohran Mamdani has taken control of the Democratic Party in New York City, effectively making him a “kingmaker.”

New York’s mayor described the Trump administration’s policies as a massive betrayal, arguing that Washington was giving the green light to spend billions on Netanyahu’s wars while telling financially struggling New Yorkers that there was no funding to help them pay their rent.

He said working-class New Yorkers and others had helped drive support for his allies because they had become completely fed up with a corrupt status quo, explaining why they voted for his endorsed candidates.

CNN’s report described the victories as evidence of a new power broker in New York politics and the Democratic Party, explaining that the shift has unsettled those who have long held influence over Democratic politics.

The report said that Mayor Mamdani offers a different model of politics—not one funded by billionaires or driven by consultants, but one focused on the needs of working-class people. That is exactly what New Yorkers are demanding, and it is what the candidates he backed represent. That is why his slate won.

One of the most notable pieces on Mamdani’s sweeping victories came from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial board on June 24, 2026, which examined America’s democratic socialists and what the rise of Mamdani’s left-wing movement could mean for the Democratic Party and the United States.

The WSJ argued that the strong performance of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the primaries and the success of the left-wing slate led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani will change the Democratic Party, and perhaps politics across the country.

It noted that, according to the New York State legislative election results, seven of eight candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America won on June 23, 2026, as part of a slate of candidates supportive of Palestine and critical of “Israel.”

Their platform includes support for universal healthcare, higher income taxes, a wealth tax, and adding the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Democratic Party’s agenda.

The editorial board also emphasized that the DSA is highly organized and capable of mobilizing progressive young voters who have replaced the moderate white voters who left New York.

Another WSJ report said Mamdani’s sweeping victories in New York have deepened tensions between Jewish voters and the Democratic Party after candidates with strong criticism of “Israel” secured major wins in the city’s primaries.

“What unsettled them was the scale of victory by a trio of left-wing candidates who were endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and had made criticism of Israel the emotional core of their campaigns,” the WSJ wrote.

It added that New York City is home to the largest Jewish community outside “Israel,” a city where generations of Jewish Americans have flourished and left a lasting cultural imprint. Yet the election results and campaigns focused on “Israel”—some of which critics accused of using “antisemitic” rhetoric—complicated their relationship with the city and exposed divisions within their own community.

“Nobody would have expected that this would be the dividing line in a race for Congress,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.), a progressive Jewish lawmaker who saw the outcome as further evidence of a generational and ideological shift under way in the party. 

“The progressive part of the Democratic Party is very much on the move.”

The WSJ concluded that the biggest loser in all of this is support for “Israel,” noting that some critics have labeled Mamdani’s slate “the Hamas slate,” while anti-”Israel” Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders is moving closer to achieving his long-held goal of pushing the party leftward through a younger generation of voters.