New York City’s progressive wing gathered Thursday night for a high-energy rally that supporters described as a launching point for a broader political movement, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders urging voters to back a slate of Democratic Socialist-aligned congressional candidates in next week’s Democratic primaries.
The event, dubbed “Our Year, Our Team,” filled Kings Theatre in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood and featured appearances from several candidates seeking to expand the influence of the city’s progressive bloc in Washington. The rally focused on Democratic primaries scheduled for June 23, contests that could shape the future direction of the party in New York.
Among the candidates promoted at the event were former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander in the 10th Congressional District, state Assembly Member Claire Valdez in the 7th District, and Darializa Avila Chevalier in the 13th District. Several of the races pit progressive challengers against candidates viewed as more aligned with the Democratic establishment.
Mamdani framed the elections as part of a larger effort to reshape the Democratic Party.
“The Democratic Party must change. The party of the past will not be what leads us into the future, for we need a Democratic Party with a backbone,” he told the crowd.
The mayor argued that the movement supporting the candidates extends beyond any single officeholder or election cycle.
“Our work has never been about any one person or any one office or any one election,” Mamdani said. “Our work has been about a movement. A movement to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas.”
He described that movement as an effort to build a government that serves ordinary residents rather than what he characterized as wealthy and politically connected interests.
Sanders, who grew up in Brooklyn before launching his political career in Vermont, echoed those themes. The senator pointed to recent victories by progressive candidates around the country as evidence that voters are increasingly receptive to left-wing economic messages.
“In the last eight months, progressive, democratic socialist candidates all over this country have been winning major victories,” Sanders said.
He argued that many working-class Americans believe the current economic system favors powerful interests while leaving ordinary families struggling with rising costs and economic uncertainty.
“Why are progressives and socialist candidates winning elections all across this country?” Sanders asked. “The working class of America understands that our current economic system is rigged.”
Other speakers sharpened the contrast with more traditional Democrats. Valdez argued that progressive politics should extend beyond national borders and criticized what she described as the influence of wealthy interests and military spending.
“The war machine and the billionaire class are not separate people; they are the same,” she said.
Lander also targeted Democratic establishment figures and wealthy donors during his remarks.
“We’ve had it with corporate Democrats who don’t know what time it is,” he told attendees, criticizing what he described as politics driven by large donors, corporate interests, and billionaire influence.
The rally’s atmosphere reflected growing confidence among New York’s progressive activists, who view Mamdani’s election victory as evidence that their coalition can continue expanding its influence. Supporters see the upcoming primaries as an opportunity to send more like-minded representatives to Congress.
Critics, however, argue that the agenda promoted by Democratic Socialists remains well outside the political mainstream and could create challenges for Democrats seeking to appeal to broader electorates. That debate is likely to intensify as primary voters head to the polls and the results reveal whether the movement’s momentum continues or encounters resistance from more traditional factions within the party.
