Socialist Revolution? Zohran Mamdani’s Allies Seek to Primary House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Other Democrats, Report Says.
9th July 2025
Allies of socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who unexpectedly won the city’s Democratic primary, are plotting primary challenges against the city’s top Democratic incumbents—including House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“Mamdani’s allies, notably key leaders of the Democratic Socialists of America, are talking about running primary challengers against Jeffries and several other incumbents, including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman and Yvette Clarke,” CNN reported Wednesday.
The intraparty tensions come at a precarious time for Democrats, who are facing plummeting approval ratings and struggling to rally behind a national leader ahead of the 2026 midterms. Mamdani’s surprise primary win last month has energized far-left voters but unnerved the party establishment. Most top Democrats, including Jeffries and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), have yet to officially endorse Mamdani.
Jeffries on Wednesday dismissed the primary threats, telling CNN that he has “no idea what these people are talking about.” But Jeffries senior adviser André Richardson issued a stern warning, saying that if Mamdani’s allies go forward with a primary fight, “our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026.”
