Young Urban Voters Fueling Socialist Primary Wins

Recent election results show democratic socialist and socialist-aligned candidates gaining support from younger, college-educated voters in dense urban areas, while lower-income and non-college-educated voters often backed more centrist Democrats.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Young, college-educated voters in dense urban neighborhoods have become a key source of support for democratic socialist and socialist-aligned candidates who have defeated more centrist Democrats in several recent primaries and local elections, a report by the Daily Caller News Foundation details.

An analysis of precinct-level election data shows a recurring divide in several major races: younger voters, higher-income areas and college-educated precincts often favored candidates aligned with the socialist left, while lower-income and non-college-educated voters were more likely to support their opponents.

That pattern appeared across recent contests in New York City and Seattle and may shape additional Democratic primaries, including a closely watched Colorado race involving Democratic socialist Melat Kiros and longtime Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette.

The trend was especially visible in New York on June 23, when all three candidates endorsed by Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their congressional primaries. Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, backed candidates in New York’s Seventh, Tenth and 13th Congressional Districts.

In the 13th District, socialist challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated five-term Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat 49.4% to 45.9%. Chevalier, a DSA member, performed strongest in higher-income areas, while Espaillat did better in lower-income neighborhoods. Chevalier held a 5.1-point advantage in higher-income areas, while Espaillat won lower-income areas by 9.1 points, according to The New York Times.

Chevalier also won younger and college-educated precincts by large margins. Younger residents backed her by 24.5 points, while she carried college-educated areas by 20 points, the Times data showed.

Espaillat performed better in majority-Hispanic precincts, especially in Morris Heights, Fordham and Kingsbridge. He won majority-Hispanic precincts by 56%, according to the Times. Chevalier won 61% of plurality-white precincts and 55% of plurality-black precincts, while Espaillat won 52% of plurality-Hispanic precincts, according to VoteHub.

The neighborhoods where Espaillat ran strongest are predominantly Hispanic and include some of the lower-income areas in the district. Morris Heights has a median household income of $34,619, according to Niche. Fordham Heights was 71% Hispanic as of 2024 and had a median household income of $41,840. Kingsbridge had a 66% Hispanic population and a median household income of $64,497, according to Niche.

In New York’s Seventh District, Mamdani-endorsed Assemblywoman Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso 56.1% to 35.8%. Valdez is also a DSA member. Reynoso had been backed by retiring longtime Democratic Rep. Nydia Velázquez.

Valdez’s support was concentrated in higher-income areas, while Reynoso performed better in lower-income communities, according to VoteHub. Reynoso won lower-income areas by 32.1 points, while Valdez won higher-income areas by 33.7 points, according to The New York Times.

Valdez also performed strongly among white and Hispanic voters, winning majority-Hispanic communities by 19.5 points. Reynoso, however, drew overwhelming support from Orthodox Jewish voters in South Williamsburg, according to the Times’ precinct breakdown. Voters in Orthodox and Hasidic areas strongly supported President Donald Trump in 2024, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App.

Younger and college-educated voters were central to Valdez’s victory. She won younger residents 64% to 32% and carried college-educated areas by 36.4 points, according to the Times.

Polling shows that socialism remains viewed negatively by many Hispanic voters, even as some socialist-backed candidates have made gains in Hispanic areas. An NBC poll found Hispanics viewed socialism negatively by 24 points. A 2022 survey found that 41% of Latino voters held negative views of socialism, while 23% viewed it positively.

Orthodox Jewish voters remain another group generally less aligned with socialist candidates. A majority of Orthodox Jews are affiliated with the Republican Party, according to Pew Research Center, and three-quarters supported Trump in 2024, according to the Jewish Electorate Institute.

Similar age and density patterns appeared in Seattle, where young voters helped left-wing Democrat Katie Wilson defeat incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell in November 2025. Wilson won by large margins in urban and densely populated precincts, according to Capitol Hill Seattle.

Wilson campaigned on transit benefits, rent control, social housing and environmental protections. Though she identifies as a socialist, her campaign was not backed by the DSA.

After winning, Wilson said in November that she would not allow privately owned grocery stores to close and said government-run grocery stores would be created. The proposal came as Mamdani was also promising to establish government-run grocery stores in New York City.

Mamdani’s own 2025 mayoral victory in New York also showed strong support among younger voters and mass transit commuters. He defeated former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo among mostly public transportation commuters 62% to 32%, according to the Times’ mayoral results. Mamdani ran as the Democratic nominee, while Cuomo ran on an independent ballot line.

Mamdani also won precincts with pluralities of black, Hispanic and Asian residents. Cuomo won white voters by 13 points.

Mamdani’s strongest support came from voters ages 18 to 34, non-religious voters and Asian Americans, according to Quinnipiac University. Jewish voters were Cuomo’s strongest supporters. Exit polls found that 75% of young voters supported Mamdani.

Mamdani-backed Brad Lander, a former New York City comptroller, also defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman on June 23. Lander won the Tenth District primary 65.8% to 34.0%, according to NBC News.

Lander has not identified himself as a DSA member, but he campaigned alongside Mamdani, Chevalier, Valdez and socialist Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Goldman won by large margins in Borough Park, a heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood where Trump received the most votes in the 2024 election, according to The New York Times. Goldman won several precincts there with more than 90% of the vote.

Borough Park had a 54% white population as of 2024, and a plurality of residents earned between $100,000 and $250,000 annually, according to the New York City Furman Center.

Goldman also won in the Lower East Side, which is heavily Hispanic and Asian, according to Dave’s Redistricting App. However, Lander won majority-Hispanic precincts across the district 67% to 33%, according to the Times.

Lander also carried majority-white precincts outside Borough Park, including Park Slope, where he won 66% of the vote. White residents make up roughly 64% to 70% of Park Slope’s population, and a plurality of residents have a master’s degree or higher, according to Niche. The neighborhood’s median household income is $202,310.

The Times data showed Lander winning among young, college-educated white voters, while Goldman won lower-income areas by 13.8 points. Lander carried higher-income areas by 40.6 points.

The New York results could influence other Democratic primaries where socialist-aligned candidates are challenging established incumbents.

In Colorado, democratic socialist Melat Kiros is running against Rep. Diana DeGette in Tuesday’s primary. DeGette has served in Congress since 1997, the year Kiros was born. Recent polling showed DeGette trailing her left-wing challenger.

The recent results show socialist and socialist-aligned candidates gaining ground in Democratic primaries by assembling coalitions concentrated among younger, college-educated and urban voters, while more moderate Democrats continue to draw strength from lower-income, non-college-educated and some religious communities.