The New York Knicks might have won in five, but the city’s mayor did it in three: a trio of candidates backed by Mamdani appear set to land seats in US Congress

A man or a movement? That was the question being asked when Zohran Mamdani gambled his political capital on Tuesday’s elections in New York.

The answer from voters was emphatic: they prefer Mamdani and his brand of democratic socialism to the Democratic party establishment and its lukewarm version of capitalism. America’s biggest city has swung even further to the left.

The New York Knicks might have won in five, but Mamdani did it in three. The mayor audaciously backed a trio of candidates in Democratic primaries for the US House of Representatives, and all three prevailed over establishment-backed rivals. Two were fellow democratic socialists.

Most dramatically, Adriano Espaillat – the chair ​of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – lost his bid for reelection to Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who has not held public office before, and once wrote “Fuck Kamala Harris” on social media.

In the primary for retiring congresswoman Nydia Velázquez’s seat, state assembly member Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso. Valdez was endorsed by Mamdani, while Reynoso was endorsed by Velázquez.

A third candidate backed by Mamdani, former city comptroller Brad Lander, defeated congressman Dan Goldman – a former federal prosecutor who served as lead counsel for Trump’s first impeachment – in a landslide by running to his left. Lander criticised the support by American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) of Goldman, and promised to sponsor legislation that would put restrictions on military aid to Israel.

The results demonstrated that Mamdani has lost none of his political magic. He took a risk by intervening in the congressional races, alienating some Black and Latino Democrats and trade unions along the way, but it paid off handsomely.

The mayor-turned-kingmaker had said it was a question of electing “better Democrats” who would “put working people back at the heart of politics”. All three victors are expected to win their safely blue districts, which would send three Mamdani allies into Congress next January.

The outcome was also a recognition of some wider trends in US politics: socialism is no longer a dirty word, criticism of Israel is no longer taboo and dissatisfaction with Democratic leaders in the Donald Trump era runs deep. Voters are thirsty for energy, fight and fresh ideas.