Bernie Sanders to headline Mamdani rally with his congressional picks

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Jun 12, 2026

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NEW YORK — Sen. Bernie Sanders plans to headline a Brooklyn rally with Mayor Zohran Mamdani next week to boost his slate of progressive NYC congressional candidates during early voting in the Democratic primaries.

The progressive Vermont senator, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, will join Mamdani at the rally to support candidates Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier on Thursday at the Kings Theater ahead of the June 23 primary.

Mamdani is seeking to flex his political muscle with the endorsements of insurgent candidates taking on incumbents or more establishment-backed figures.

But the popular young mayor risks squandering some of his precious political leverage if they lose, especially with Latino elected officials and establishment players who are unhappy with his snubbing of Rep. Adriano Espaillat in favor of Chevalier and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to back Valdez.

Most of the Democratic Party establishment, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, have backed Rep. Dan Goldman for reelection over Lander, leading to additional friction with Mamdani.

Mamdani appeared with the three endorsed candidates in a New York Knicks-themed TV ad in which they toss a basketball around and vowed to push for various aspects of a shared progressive agenda.

The mayor is extremely popular in all three congressional districts, polls show. But it remains to be seen if his coattails are long enough to carry the trio to victory when he is not on the ballot.

Lander appears to be leading Goldman by a healthy margin in the NY-10 district that includes lower Manhattan and a swath of Brooklyn. Valdez has also taken a surprising lead in NY-07 despite Reynoso’s deep roots in the community.

Chevalier was considered a long shot to unseat Espaillat, a five-term incumbent and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. But polls show a tight race in upper Manhattan’s NY-13.