New York’s primaries signal a new force in US politics

Published 26 June 2026 · us

Progressive, Muslim and Arab American candidates are challenging old limits on debate over Israel and Palestine. The Democratic primaries held in New York on June

Progressive, Muslim and Arab American candidates are challenging old limits on debate over Israel and Palestine. The Democratic primaries held in New York on June 23 may ultimately be remembered as a watershed moment in American politics. While the contests were confined to New York, their implications extend far beyond. The results revealed a significant shift within the Democratic Party, highlighted the growing influence of progressive politics, and underscored the emergence of Muslim and Arab Americans as an increasingly consequential force in public life. Taken together, these developments suggest that longstanding assumptions about political power, representation, and the limits of debate on Israel and Palestine are beginning to change. For decades, support for Israel occupied a uniquely protected position in American politics. Candidates who questioned military aid to Israel, criticised Israeli policies or openly championed Palestinian rights often found themselves politically marginalised. Organisations such as AIPAC helped enforce those boundaries through fundraising networks and political influence that shaped electoral outcomes across the country. The New York primaries suggest that this landscape is evolving. Several progressive candidates critical of Israel’s war in Gaza and supportive of Palestinian rights prevailed against candidates associated with the Democratic establishment. Their victories reflected a broader shift among Democratic voters, particularly younger Americans whose views on Israel and Palestine differ sharply from those of previous generations. At the centre of this transformation stands New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has rapidly emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most influential rising figures. Through grassroots organising, labour alliances, digital outreach, volunteer mobilisation and allied progressive networks, Mamdani has demonstrated how progressive politics can be translated into electoral power.

The June primaries showcased that influence. Brad Lander defeated Congressman Dan Goldman, one of Congress’s strongest defenders of Israel. Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated veteran Congressman Adriano Espaillat. Claire Valdez won her nomination while advocating a reassessment of US military assistance to Israel. Most symbolically, Palestinian American candidate Aber Kawas won the Democratic primary for a New York State Senate seat, demonstrating that support for Palestinian rights is no longer the political liability it once was. The common thread behind these victories was not simply ideology but organisation. These campaigns relied heavily on grassroots activism, volunteer networks and voter engagement rather than traditional political machines. Their success challenged another longstanding assumption in American politics: that money alone determines electoral outcomes. AIPAC remains among the most influential lobbying organisations in Washington and continues to command enormous financial resources. Yet the New York results suggest that even substantial political spending cannot always overcome a motivated grassroots movement, particularly when voters perceive a clear moral issue at stake. For many younger Americans, Gaza has become precisely such an issue. The devastation of the war, the enormous Palestinian civilian death toll, settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israel’s military operations in southern Lebanon have all contributed to growing scrutiny of Israeli government policies. Increasingly, younger voters view these issues not as distant foreign policy concerns but as questions of human rights and justice. The significance of these developments extends far beyond New York. The same political forces reshaping the Democratic Party are also accelerating the rise of Muslim and Arab Americans as participants in the nation’s political leadership.