(DCNF)—Young and college-educated voters in denser urban areas formed a core bloc for many candidates aligned with the socialist left over the past few months, an analysis of primary election data found.
In recent months, several self-described democratic socialists and candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) won their primary races against centrist-leaning Democrats in cities on both coasts. Frequent patterns among precinct data showed that young voters in densely-populated and higher-income areas tended to support the more left-wing candidates, while lower-income and non-college educated voters typically supported their opponents.
All three candidates endorsed by Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a DSA member, won their races in New York’s Seventh, Tenth and 13th Congressional Districts on June 23. Patterns showed the DSA candidates won among young, college-educated and higher-income demographics, while lower-income and non-college educated voters were more likely to vote for the non-DSA candidate.
In the 13th District, Mamdani-backed socialist challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated five-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat 49.4% to 45.9%, after winning in higher-income areas. The Democratic Socialist held a 5.1 point advantage in higher income areas, while Espaillat won lower income areas by 9.1 points, The New York Times reported.
Chevalier, a DSA member, won college-educated and younger votes by significant margins, the Times’ data showed. Younger residents backed Avila Chevalier by a 24.5 point margin, and she won in college-educated areas by a 20-point margin.
Espaillat outperformed in precincts with majority Hispanic populations by 56%, particularly in precincts in the Morris Heights, Fordham and Kingsbridge neighborhoods, according to the Times’ results. Chevalier won 61% of plurality white precincts and 55% of plurality black precincts, while Espaillat won 52% of plurality Hispanic precincts, according to VoteHub.
The Morris Heights neighborhood is predominantly Hispanic and African American with a median household income of $34,619 per year, according to Niche. Fordham Heights was 71% Hispanic as of 2024 with a median household income of $41,840 per year, while Kingsbridge had a 66% Hispanic population and a $64,497 median household income.
Mamdani-endorsed Democratic New York assemblywoman and DSA member Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso 56.1% to 35.8% in New York’s Seventh District. Reynoso had the backing of retiring longtime Democratic New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez.
Valdez won support among higher-income earners, while Reynoso garnered more support in the lower-income communities, according to VoteHub. Reynoso won in lower-income areas by a 32.1-point margin, while Valdez won higher-income areas by a 33.7-point margin, according to The New York Times.
Valdez outperformed among white and Hispanic voters, winning majority Hispanic communities by 19.5 points. Orthodox Jewish voters in the South Williamsburg neighborhood overwhelmingly voted for Reynoso, according to the Times’ breakdown. Voters in the Orthodox and Hasidic areas overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA).
Younger residents and majority college-educated areas overwhelmingly supported Valdez. The socialist won among younger residents 64% to 32% and in college-educated areas by a 36.4-point margin, according to the Times.
An NBC poll found Hispanics viewed socialism negatively by a 24-point margin. An earlier survey from 2022 found 41% of Latino voters expressed negative views on socialism, while 23% viewed it positively. A majority of Orthodox Jews were affiliated with the Republican Party and three-quarters of Orthodox Jews supported Trump in 2024, according to the Jewish Electorate Institute.
Young voters were largely responsible for left-wing Democratic Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s November 2025 electoral win against incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell. She won in urban and densely populated precincts by wide margins, according to Capitol Hill Seattle. Wilson campaigned on establishing transit benefits, rent control, social housing and environmental protections.
While she identifies as a socialist, the now-mayor’s run was not backed by the DSA.
Wilson stated in November she would not allow privately owned grocery stores to close and vowed that government-run grocery stores would be established. Her proposal emerged at a time when Mamdani promised to establish these stores throughout New York City.
Mamdani won mostly public transport commuters 62% to 32% against former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the November 2025 mayoral election, the Times’ mayoral race results reported. The socialist — running as the Democratic nominee — also won precincts with pluralities of black, Hispanic and Asian residents, while Cuomo — running on an independent ballot line — won white voters by a 13-point margin.
The New York mayor’s strongest support was among voters ages 18 to 34 years, non-religious voters and Asian Americans, according to Quinnipiac University. The Jewish community were Cuomo’s strongest supporters. Exit polls found 75% of youth voted for Mamdani.
Mamdani-backed candidate Brad Lander, a former New York City comptroller, defeated incumbent New York Rep. Dan Goldman in a 65.8% to 34.0% vote on June 23. Lander had never identified himself as a DSA member but nevertheless campaigned alongside Mamdani, Chevalier, Valdez and socialist Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Goldman won by large margins in the Borough Park neighborhood, a heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood where Trump received the most votes during the 2024 election, according to The New York Times. He won several precincts in that area with over 90% of the vote.
Borough Park had a 54% white population as of 2024 and a plurality of residents earned between $100,000 and $250,000 a year, according to the New York City Furman Center.
The incumbent congressman won in the Lower East Side, which is heavily Hispanic and Asian, according to DRA. However, Lander won in majority Hispanic precincts 67% to 33%, according to the Times.
Other precincts with majority white populations supported Lander, including the Park Slope neighborhood, where Lander secured 66% of the vote. White residents account for approximately 64% to 70% of the population, while a plurality of residents earned a master’s degree or higher, according to Niche. The median household income stood at $202,310 per year.
While Lander won among young, college-educated white voters, Goldman won in lower-income areas by a 13.8-point margin, according to the Times. Lander won in the higher-income areas by 40.6 points.
The trio of leftist wins in New York’s June 23 primaries may set the stage for other victories by socialist aligned candidates in hotly-contested Democratic primaries.
Democratic socialist Melat Kiros will run against Democratic Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette in Tuesday’s primary. DeGette, who has served in Congress since 1997 — the year Kiros was born, has trailed her leftist challenger in recent polling.
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