House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is getting little sympathy from Republicans after three candidates he backed were defeated by socialist challengers in New York City primaries Tuesday night.
The National Republican Congressional Committee rubbed salt in the wound by sending flowers and a condolences card to Jeffries’ Washington office following the losses.
According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, the gesture came after all three Jeffries-endorsed candidates were defeated by contenders backed by democratic socialist allies of Zohran Mamdani, whose growing influence has rattled establishment Democrats in New York.
The NRCC also issued a mocking statement to Fox News.
“Three losses in one night is tough. We wanted so-called ‘Leader’ Jeffries to know our thoughts are with him, his candidates, and whatever remains of his influence in the Democrat Party,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said.
Among the biggest upsets, Brad Lander was quickly projected as the winner over incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 10th Congressional District. In New York’s 7th Congressional District, state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Queens Councilwoman Julie Won. Meanwhile, Mamdani-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier knocked off five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District.
The defeats mark an embarrassing setback for Jeffries, who has worked to position himself as one of the Democratic Party’s most influential figures in Congress. Instead, the results highlighted growing tensions between the party’s traditional leadership and its increasingly energized left wing.
The losses are likely to fuel questions about Jeffries’ political influence in his home city, where candidates aligned with Mamdani and the socialist movement continue to gain traction against more establishment-backed rivals.
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