NEW YORK — At victory parties for the far-left Democratic Socialists of America in New York City on Tuesday night, crowds chanted “Free Palestine,” railed against the pro-Israel lobby and took aim at the House’s Democratic Party leadership.

“A year ago, it was not the end of a political movement — it was the beginning,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told a crowd, referring to his upset victory in last year’s mayoral race.

Mamdani’s election win last year was a shock to the Democratic Party and mainstream Jews, and Tuesday’s results — a sweep for three Mamdani-backed candidates — showed that his victory was not a one-off.

The primary wins cemented the mayor as a kingmaker, furthered the role of anti-Zionist politics in the city that is home to the world’s largest Diaspora Jewish population, and sent a message to Democratic leaders as the party turns increasingly against the Jewish state.

The two Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates, Claire Valdez and Darializa Chevalier, won elections against more established candidates. Brad Lander, a Mamdani ally who is not a DSA member, toppled a centrist incumbent, as did Chevalier.

In all three races, Israel was a central issue, and the more hardline Israel critics won. The candidates all won primaries in Democratic House districts, meaning they are nearly certain to win the general election in November and enter Congress.

Chevalier’s opponent, Adrianno Espaillat, and Lander’s rival, Dan Goldman, should have been solid candidates for Democrats. Goldman made his name prosecuting US President Donald Trump. Espaillat was the head of the Hispanic Caucus and a longtime friend of unions. Neither had been involved in any scandals.

But they were seen as too close to Israel, particularly the pro-Israel lobby, and not supportive enough of Mamdani.

Chevalier and Lander hammered their opponents for their past connections to AIPAC. The pro-Israel lobby became an issue in Valdez’s race, even though neither candidate had any connection to AIPAC, when Valdez falsely suggested that her opponent, Antonio Reynoso, had received funding from the group.

Lander, who is Jewish, acknowledged that the animus toward AIPAC played into antisemitic tropes, saying the attack line made him “queasy,” but that he had to do it anyway.

Charging “genocide” in Gaza by Israel, which some Jews increasingly see as a libel, appeared to be a litmus test. Lander, who identifies as a “liberal Zionist,” accused the Jewish state of genocide — the crime of crimes — while Goldman and Espaillat did not, despite voicing harsh criticism toward the Netanyahu government and the war in Gaza. Both Valdez and Reynoso accused Israel of genocide.

Espaillat said in a debate that the charge was an issue to be decided by “international entities.” He was correct — genocide is a crime with a legal definition, and international courts have not issued any decisions. But it didn’t seem to matter.

“We need to stop sending our tax dollars to a state that is........

© The Times of Israel