Mamdani-backed progressives sweep New York Democratic primaries as Jessica González‑Rojas wins Queens Senate seat

Democratic primary elections were held on 23 June 2026 in New York City. In the heavily immigrant District 13 of Queens, state assemblymember Jessica González‑Rojas defeated incumbent state senator Jessica Ramos by a margin of roughly 6,350 to 4,908 votes, securing the Democratic nomination for the state Senate. The district, home to more than 142,000 registered voters, includes neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst and parts of Astoria and Woodside, where over 80 % of residents are foreign‑born and 61 % are Latino. González‑Rojas, of Paraguayan and Puerto Rican descent, was endorsed by New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, as well as federal lawmakers Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, and celebrated her victory amid low overall turnout.

Mamdani’s political influence was evident across three competitive congressional primaries, where candidates he supported won, signalling a coordinated surge of progressive left forces in the city. The victories challenge the traditional Democratic establishment, introduce a more critical stance on foreign policy issues such as Israel, and emphasize bold economic and housing‑affordability platforms aimed at New York’s cost‑of‑living crisis.