Socialists are on both offense and defense in attempt take NY primaries

The Democratic Socialists of America are hoping for a red wave across the Big Apple in Democratic primary races this year but are facing stiff challenges in districts increasingly skeptical of the group, insiders told The Post.

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez likely has little to fear from primary challenger Marty Dolan — but other left-wingers will be defending gains they’ve made in previous cycles from tough internal challenges by moderate Dems.

The June 25 contests have both local and national implications, but most will be ultra-low turnout affairs, open only to Democratic Party members, and will test DSA grassroots activism against the city’s party machines.

The socialists’ anti-Israel fervor has emboldened many mainstream Democrats who hope to reap electoral benefits from the polls.

The DSA’s unpopular anti-Israel rhetoric has led to a seven-figure cash crisis at their national body and bipartisan condemnation.

“There are two real truths about American politics in Summer of 2024,” James Carville, a longtime Democratic party elder, mused. “One is that ‘progressive’ Democrats are losing primaries everywhere. The other is that mainstream Democrats win everything.”

Rep. Jamaal Bowman vs. George Latimer

New York’s marquee fight pits Bowman (D-Westchester) against the popular Westchester county executive, and is the first major national test of a “Squad” member of Congress since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Even before the Israel-Hamas war began, Bowman took heat for favoring far-left agenda items over the needs of his own constituents. His vote against President Biden’s infrastructure bill — after insisting it helped white people too much — has become a major issue in the race.

He’s also faced widespread mockery for pulling a fire alarm during a government funding vote last year.

Bowman embraced ceasefire proposals that would allow Hamas to remain in power and has freely campaigned with activists who celebrated the attacks.

Recent polls show him trailing Latimer by double digits in the district, which stretches from Co-Op City in the Bronx to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Westchester.

“Bowman is not going to win. People do not like him,” Carville said. “I think he is a complete tool of the identity left.”

Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher and vs. Anathea Simpkins.

Socialist Gallagher made headlines when she upset Assemblyman Joe Lentol, a 46 year veteran of the chamber, in 2020.

Gallagher faced questions about her maturity and judgment after revelationS she once spied on a couple having sex and used to throw “homeless parties.”

She is facing a tough challenge from Simpkins, an associate vice president of the gun violence prevention group Sandy Hook Promise.

Gallagher is known to be stridently anti-Israel, but the race in this district, which includes Williamsburg and Greenpoint, is widely believed to turn on a bike lane the city is planning to add to McGuinness Boulevard. Simpkins and her allies oppose it, but Gallagher, a known car hater, supports the city plan which would remove a lane of traffic.

Despite her opposition to cars, Gallagher herself has racked up thousands of dollars in traffic tickets over the years, as The Post reported earlier this month.

“She’s better known as the hypocrite of North Brooklyn,” said Frank Seddio, a longtime borough powerbroker. “I think it’s going to be a lot closer than people believed it would have been.”

Assemblywoman Sarahana Shrestha vs. Gabi Madden

Democratic Socialists are also looking to keep its toe-hold upstate with Shrestha, a justice and climate activist, originally from Nepal, who won the seat in 2020 by surprisingly knocking out 13-term Assemblyman Kevin Cahill. The district includes Kingston, Woodstock and New Paltz.

Dems hope it was a fluke and think Madden, a longtime district resident who worked as a communications aide to Cahill and deputy chief of staff to State Sen. James Skoufis, can win.

“The district is a lot like other Hudson Valley districts; affordability is at the very top of the list of issues that are important,” Skoufis said. “It’s far more important that a representative be laser-focused delivering for the district and not later-focused on advancing an ideological cause.”

Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman Vs. Eon Huntley 

Socialists are looking to advance their hold on Brooklyn by challenging moderate Dem Assemblywoman Zinerman, who reps Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. The lefties are putting up a newcomer with considerable baggage.

Huntley, who describes himself as a “retail worker,” actually spent years working as a brand manager at the ultra-lux Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman. He is a life-long renter, but his apartment is outside the district he’s running in and is a luxury rent-stabilized unit, built using a tax break he opposes.

Zinerman is favorite of Brooklyn’s Democratic machine and has wide institutional support in the neighborhood.

“Eon talks more about Palestine than the issues that affect our community. He feels like a puppet to us,” said Marlon Rice, a local community activist. “We don’t know him and the messaging from him is national based and a lot less community based.”

Assemblyman Michael Benedetto vs. Jonathan Soto

Socialists are hoping for an upset along the lines of Gallagher and Shrestha in The Bronx’s otherwise sleepy 82d district covering Co-op City, Throggs Neck, Westchester Square, City Island, Country Club, and Pelham Bay.

Moderate Benedetto has repped the area in Albany for 20 years. He is facing a challenge from a former community organizer for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This is Soto’s second stab at the seat. Benedetto, the chair of the Assembly Housing Committee, crushed him in 2022, taking more than 56% of the vote in a three-person race.

“Benedetto is going win,” said Bronx Councilman Eric Dinowitz. “The DSA has proven themselves to be very divisive … Ben knows every corner of the district and he’s very popular. It’s very clear that DSA values don’t align with most Bronxites.”

Assemblyman Juan Ardilla vs. Claire Valdez vs. Johanna Carmona

Moderate Ardilla is waging a desperate campaign to save his seat from two challengers. The incumbent has few allies in the district, which covers Long Island City, Sunnyside, Maspeth, and Ridgewood, and is widely expected to lose amid continuing fallout from a scandal in which two women accused him of sexual misconduct. Ardilla has denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged.

The race is shaping up to be a contest between Valdez, a DSA-backed union organizer, and Carmona, an attorney who has worked in the Special Victims Bureau in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office and is currently employed by the City Council as a legislative administrative manager.

“Ardilla has no shot. There is a better chance of the New York Jets making the playoffs,” said Trip Yang, a Democratic strategist. “It’s 50/50 between Valdez and Carmona.”