The "Mamdani revolution" comes for House Democrats
House Democrats are facing a surge of progressive primary challenges inspired by New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani that lawmakers say shouldn't be lightly dismissed.
Why it matters: There's a clear burst of anti-establishment energy in the Democratic Party right now, and the left is eager to test its limits and see how much power they can capture in New York, D.C. and elsewhere.
- Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said he had been predicting "at least 30 percent" of House Democrats would face primaries, but now "that number might turn out to be even higher."
- "You can just tell. It's the year. People's hair is on fire, they just feel like they've got to do something," the former Progressive Caucus co-chair told Axios. "People are pissed, they're sad, they're concerned."
- Ossé wasn't the only New York progressive to make news on Monday. Chuck Park, a former New York Economic Development Corporation staffer, launched a bid against Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.).
- He joins former state Assemblyman and Democratic National Committee vice chair Michael Blake, who is challenging Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).
- New York City comptroller Brad Lander and New York City Council member Alexa Avilés are both seen as possible challengers to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), whose district Mamdani won overwhelmingly.
- Rep. George Latimer (D-N.Y.) told Axios he "wouldn't be surprised if I have a primary opponent" backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will "likely" be a target as well, a progressive consultant told Axios.
- Reps. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) are all facing insurgents backed by Justice Democrats, a left-wing group with a long track record of unseating establishment Democrats.
- Several other lawmakers in their 70s and 80s are facing younger challengers going after them on both ideology and age, including Reps. Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and David Scott (D-Ga.).
- The lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts about sensitive internal party dynamics, said they are not worried about their own primary but that some of their colleagues should be — particularly Goldman.
- "Brad Lander is the favorite" if he runs, the lawmaker predicted.
- Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), a longtime New York City politico, told Axios: "Brad Lander will win."
The intrigue: Nadler later called Axios to walk back his comments, saying, "I really don't know who's going to win."
- "I was reacting to some public polling I saw," he added. "I'm not even sure Brad's running.
- Said Goldman spokesperson Simone Kanter: "The Congressman is eager to put his record in Congress against anyone who wants to challenge him over the next seven months. Whether it is Brad or anyone else, they will face the fight of their life if they choose to run against Dan Goldman."
- "Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about. Best of luck!"
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told Axios of Ossé's run: "I certainly don't think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now."
- Both declined to weigh in on a possible Lander-Goldman matchup.
- A second House Democrat who spoke anonymously told Axios that while many of these insurgent candidacies may fall short, "anybody who doesn't take the dynamic seriously does so at their peril."
- "It's going to be a bloodbath in comparison to a default year," they said.
