Johnson Weaponizes Democratic Primary Upsets in New York as GOP Eyes House Control

House Speaker Mike Johnson is seizing on internal Democratic rifts as Republicans campaign to preserve their narrow House majority heading into November. At a Virginia Beach campaign event Monday, the Louisiana Republican highlighted a string of Democratic primary victories by candidates linked to the Democratic Socialists of America, directly challenging House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership of the caucus.

“It’s a fascinating thing to see the Democrat Party in the midst of an open civil war. They don’t know who they stand, what they stand for, or who stands with them. They don’t have a leader,” Johnson told supporters. The speaker was campaigning for endangered Virginia Representative Jen Kiggans, a fellow Republican.

The centerpiece of Johnson’s criticism involved three New York congressional races where DSA-endorsed candidates toppled establishment picks. Most prominently, socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th District, which spans parts of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. Both candidates had been backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a DSA member.

In the 10th Congressional District covering western Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, former DSA member Brad Lander ousted incumbent Representative Dan Goldman, who had been endorsed by Jeffries. A third victory came when socialist Claire Valdez won a Brooklyn and Queens seat being vacated by Representative Nydia Velázquez, whose preferred successor lost.

Johnson characterized the DSA-backed winners as “open Marxists” and outlined their policy positions against his audience. He cited the organization’s stated goals of abolishing border enforcement, eliminating prisons, and restructuring Congress as evidence of a radical threat to the Democratic Party establishment.

Jeffries’ office responded by pointing to his recent comments on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he expressed confidence Democrats would win back the House. “I expect that there will be at least 220 members of the House Democratic Caucus when we take back the majority, if not a number much greater than that,” Jeffries said when asked about primary challenges from the left.

The New York results underscore a broader ideological split within Democratic ranks that Republicans believe could aid their defense of a House majority with just a handful of seats. Neither Chevalier nor Valdez has publicly endorsed Jeffries to continue as the party’s House leader, potentially complicating party unity efforts.