DSA-Backed Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier Projected to Win New York House Seats

Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier were projected winners of New York City House seats in Tuesday's election, and Lander was also reported to have secured a seat. Valdez, a Democrat in New York's 7th District, defeated Republican Melvin Rivera, a community activist, in the race to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who has held the seat since 2013 and has been in Congress since 1993. The district leans strongly Democratic. In the June primary, Valdez, backed by DSA and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, beat a crowded field that included Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who was supported by more established Democrats. At least five DSA-backed candidates are expected to join current DSA members Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the House. Valdez said her task is winning colleagues over and finding common ground; Avila Chevalier said popular policies in the country's history have been socialist ones that working people won. Democrats were expected to take the House, while the Senate outcome was unclear. Gov. Hochul also defeated Blakeman.

Fox News, on the right, leads with Valdez's win, her matchup with Rivera, Velázquez's retirement and the primary fight with Reynoso, framing the result as DSA expanding its reach. It pairs the story with a segment where Steve Hilton warns of a possible DSA takeover in California. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while the right and alternative outlets had. Democracy Now! covers both winners and DSA's wider primary gains, featuring the candidates' own quotes. The Times of Israel adds Lander and the Hochul-Blakeman result, and its headline labels the winners anti-Israel leftists.