As just about the whole world has heard by now, Tuesday’s primary election in New York went spectacularly well for Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his progressive allies. This pattern was very much apparent on the Lower East Side.
The former New York City Comptroller, Brad Lander, easily defeated sitting U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in the battle for the 10th Congressional District, which includes the Lower East Side. According to unofficial results (with more than 97% of the vote counted), Lander had 65.8% to 34% for Goldman.
Lander appeared at a get-out-the-vote event with Mamdani Tuesday on Pitt Street. Also at the Mayor’s side was Lower East Side tenant organizer Illapa Sairitupac, who prevailed last night in the primary election for the 65th Assembly District. Mamdani endorsed Sairitupac just last month. In preliminary results, he had 36%, or 4,140 votes in a crowded seven candidate field. His closest competitor was LES community organizer Jasmin Sanchez, coming in with 1,993 votes.
Sairitupac is a socialist who ran on a platform of taxing the rich to pay for essential services, creating a Social Housing Development Authority and enacting legislation to prohibit local law enforcement agencies from collaborating with ICE in New York City. NYC Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) celebrated Sairitupac’s win, writing on Instagram, “Socialism wins in the Lower East Side! We’re sending another ecosocialist and tenants’ champion to Albany to fight for the affordable, beautiful future that workers deserve. Illapa’s victory proves socialism still has a home downtown.”
The legislative seat opened up when Assemblymember Grace Lee decided to run to succeed Senator Brian Kavanagh, who chose not to seek another term. Lee was victorious last night in the battle for the 27th Senatorial District. She had 62% of the vote compared with 37% for Yuh-Line Niou. Niou had previously served as assemblymember in Lower Manhattan.
The General Election takes place November 3.
