Across New York, a slew of Democratic primaries for State Assembly on Tuesday were expected to extend the battle lines between moderate and progressive Democrats over the direction of the party, a fight that has been raging since 2018.
Instead, the prevailing factor seemed to be the power of incumbency. From Brooklyn to Buffalo, only one sitting Assembly member lost a primary on Tuesday: Juan Ardila, who resisted calls to resign after accusations of sexual misconduct resurfaced last year, finished a distant third in Queens.
In one of the most-watched races, Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman defeated Eon Huntley, who was supported by the Democratic Socialists of America. Ms. Zinerman, who represents the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, had the support of two of the biggest Democratic names in the state, Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, and Letitia James, the New York State attorney general.
In the Hudson Valley, Didi Barrett, a six-term assemblywoman, turned back a challenge from Claire Cousin, 31, a mother of three who was backed by the Working Families Party.
And in the Bronx, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, who leads the Education Committee, beat back a democratic socialist, Jonathan Soto, a former organizer for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for a second time.
“I’m hoping this evening has taught the D.S.A. a lesson,” Ms. Zinerman said in an interview after her victory speech. “They could have a meaningful relationship with Democrats if they stopped running against us. They don’t want to build, they want to win.”
Mr. Huntley said the race showed that many voters are ready to “support an alternative to the status quo.”
But D.S.A. candidates also saw success on Tuesday. In the Hudson Valley, Assemblywoman Sarahana Shrestha decisively defeated Gabriella Madden, a staff member for the assemblyman Ms. Shrestha unseated in 2022.
Ms. Madden had accused Ms. Shrestha of prioritizing rhetoric over results. On Tuesday evening, Ms. Shrestha posted a screenshot of the election results on X with caption: “Results check, rhetoric check.”
In Brooklyn, Emily Gallagher, a Democratic assemblywoman backed by D.S.A., defeated two challengers seeking to represent a North Brooklyn district.
And in Queens, a D.S.A.-backed candidate, Claire Valdez, defeated Mr. Ardila. Ms. Valdez attributed her victory to her support for “tenant-power” labor protections, and calls for a cease-fire in Gaza.
The results allowed mainstream and left-leaning Democrats to claim victory and progress in an intraparty fight that blossomed in 2018 when Ms. Ocasio-Cortez defeated Joe Crowley, once viewed as a potential future House speaker.
That same year, six state senators who once formed the Independent Democratic Conference, a breakaway group of Democrats that worked with Republicans, were swept out of office.
The victories lifted the hopes of progressive Democrats across the state and led to significant legislative changes around criminal justice and housing. Six years later, issues like the war in Gaza, crime, and congestion pricing have rekindled the fight for the party’s direction.
Ms. Zinerman saw efforts by the democratic socialists to defeat her as an attack on the “legacy” Black power base in Bedford-Stuyvesant where she is fighting issues like deed theft and gun violence. Mr. Huntley, who, like Ms. Zinerman, is Black, argued that younger voters felt their concerns about affordable housing and the cost of child care were being ignored.
In East Harlem, Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs, who is Black, defeated Xavier Santiago, who is Latino and the head of the local community board. Representatives Jerry Nadler and Adriano Espaillat supported Mr. Santiago. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Mayor Eric Adams backed Mr. Gibbs.
The race, which pivoted on racial representation, was contentious right up to Primary Day, when the police and election officials had to break up a row about electioneering outside a local school.
Mr. Gibbs maintained that opposition to his re-election was pushed by forces that wanted a Latino to represent the district, which is 41 percent Hispanic.
“Today’s election was the second consecutive election cycle where politicians threw everything but the kitchen sink at me,” Mr. Gibbs said. “But the voters sent a clear message: Unity will always prevail over divisiveness.”
Mr. Gibbs’s victory was one of two Primary Day blows to Mr. Espaillat. He also backed Leonardo Coello in his unsuccessful bid to defeat Assemblyman Landon Dais, who is Black, in the South Bronx.
Basil Smikle, director of the Public Policy Program at Hunter College, said the losses are not likely to hurt Mr. Espaillat’s growing influence.
“He still has an opportunity to create a very significant voting bloc that starts in his district and extends beyond,” Mr. Smikle said. “He has a strong start in consolidating that power.”
And in Westchester County, Assemblywoman MaryJane Shimsky won a heated contest against her predecessor, Thomas J. Abinanti.
Mr. Abinanti had accused Ms. Shimsky, who defeated him in a 2022 primary, of selling out the district and stealing his email list. Ms. Shimsky strenuously denied both claims.
“It’s not the only primary which might, in some sense, be considered a grudge primary, but it’s certainly the one that has the most venom in it,” she said.
Grace Ashford contributed reporting.
