Democratic nomination contests for New York’s seats in the closely divided U.S. House take center stage Tuesday in a state primary where relatively few of the state’s top officeholders will appear on the ballot. One incumbent who is not up for election but has emerged as a key figure in the c ampaign is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is looking to shape the city’s congressional delegation through a series of endorsements, including for challengers to two Democratic incumbents. New York is expected to play a key role in deciding control of the chamber in November. Decision 2026 15 hours ago New York's congressional candidates make final case in last day before primary Decision 2026 Jun 5 Anti-Trump ex-Republicans are running in Democratic primaries. They're off to a rocky start. Elections Jun 17 6 takeaways from Tuesday's primaries in Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, California and D.C. In New York City, competitive primaries in traditionally safe Democratic seats could help define the party’s identity in the Empire State and beyond. In the 10th Congressional District in Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, two-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman faces a strong challenge from former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has endorsements from Mamdani and Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Mamdani and Lander are former mayoral campaign rivals. In the 13th Congressional District in Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, five-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat faces three primary challengers, including doctoral student and political organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, who also has Mamdani’s backing. In the 7th Congressional District straddling Brooklyn and Queens, retiring 17-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez has endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, but he faces a tough race against state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, who has endorsements from Mamdani and Sanders. In Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District, eight Democrats are running to succeed retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. The top contenders include state Assemblymen Alex Bores and Micah Lasher, attorney, Donald Trump critic and former Republican George Conway, and Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg. Conway leads the field in fundraising, but Lasher boasts endorsements from Nadler, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and former independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. North of the city in the 17th Congressional District, five Democrats hope to unseat two-term Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, who is unopposed for the nomination. The field includes former White House counterterrorism official and Army combat veteran Cait Conley, Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson and Tarrytown Village Trustee Effie Phillips-Staley. Conley leads in fundraising and available cash as of early June, followed by Davidson, with Phillips-Staley a distant third. This swing district in the northern suburbs of New York City is among the top seats Democrats hope to flip. Democrat Kamala Harris narrowly carried the district in 2024. Her strongest showing was in Westchester County, the largest of the district’s four counties and the closest to New York City. Trump carried Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties with double-digit leads. On Long Island, vulnerable Democratic freshmen Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen are defending their seats in the 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts, respectively. Both face contested primaries. In the massive 21st Congressional District in upstate New York, Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik is not seeking a seventh term following her aborted run for governor and her withdrawn nomination for United Nations Ambassador. State Assemblyman Robert Smullen has the backing of local party officials to replace her, while business owner Anthony Constantino has an endorsement from Trump. The only statewide contest at stake on Tuesday is the Democratic primary for state comptroller, where the five-term incumbent, Tom DiNapoli, faces his first-ever primary challenge after almost 20 years in office. Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James are running for reelection, but they are unopposed for their party’s nominations and do not appear on primary ballots, as is the case for their Republican opponents, Bruce Blakeman and Saritha Komatireddy. Under New York election law, primaries are not held in contests where only one candidate seeks the nomination. Voters will also decide contested primaries for state Senate and state Assembly. All 63 state Senate and 150 state Assembly seats are up for election in 2026. Democrats hold about 2-to-1 majorities over Republicans in both chambers. ...read more read less