Young, college-educated voters in dense urban neighborhoods have become a key source of support for candidates aligned with the socialist left, according to recent primary election data. Over the past several months, multiple self-described democratic socialists, along with candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, have defeated more centrist Democrats in major-city primaries on […]

Young, college-educated voters in dense urban neighborhoods have become a key source of support for candidates aligned with the socialist left, according to recent primary election data.

Over the past several months, multiple self-described democratic socialists, along with candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, have defeated more centrist Democrats in major-city primaries on both coasts. The results show a recurring pattern: left-wing candidates performed especially well in younger, higher-income, and more college-educated precincts, while their opponents tended to do better with lower-income voters and voters without college degrees.

That trend was visible in New York’s June 23 congressional primaries, where all three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a DSA member, won their races in the Seventh, Tenth and 13th Congressional Districts.

In New York’s 13th District, Mamdani-backed socialist challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated five-term Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 49.4% to 45.9%. Chevalier performed strongest in higher-income areas, while Espaillat held an advantage in lower-income precincts. According to The New York Times, Chevalier led by 5.1 points in higher-income areas, while Espaillat led by 9.1 points in lower-income areas.

Chevalier also drew strong support from younger and college-educated voters. The Times’ data showed she won younger residents by 24.5 points and college-educated areas by 20 points.

Espaillat, however, remained stronger in majority-Hispanic precincts, particularly in Morris Heights, Fordham, and Kingsbridge. VoteHub data showed Chevalier won 61% of plurality-white precincts and 55% of plurality-Black precincts, while Espaillat won 52% of plurality-Hispanic precincts.

Those neighborhood patterns reflected sharp differences in income and demographics. Morris Heights is predominantly Hispanic and African American, with 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, while Kingsbridge was 66% Hispanic with a median household income of $64,497.

Advertisement

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

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

Valdez also performed well with younger and college-educated voters. She won among younger residents 64% to 32% and carried college-educated areas by 36.4 points. She also outperformed Reynoso in majority-Hispanic communities by 19.5 points. Reynoso, meanwhile, received overwhelming support from Orthodox Jewish voters in South Williamsburg, an area that also voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2024, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App.

Public polling has shown some resistance to socialism among groups that helped Reynoso. An NBC poll found Hispanic voters viewed socialism negatively by a 24-point margin, while a 2022 survey found 41% of Latino voters had negative views of socialism and 23% viewed it positively. The Jewish Electorate Institute has also found strong Republican affiliation among Orthodox Jews, with three-quarters backing Trump in 2024.

Similar patterns have appeared outside New York. In Seattle, young voters played a major role in left-wing Democrat Katie Wilson’s November 2025 win over incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell. Wilson, who identifies as a socialist but was not backed by the DSA, won dense urban precincts by wide margins, according to Capitol Hill Seattle. Her campaign focused on transit benefits, rent control, social housing, and environmental protections.

Wilson also proposed creating government-run grocery stores if privately owned stores closed, an idea similar to one Mamdani promoted in New York City.

Mamdani himself built a coalition heavily rooted in young and transit-dependent voters. In the November 2025 New York City mayoral election, he won voters who mostly commute by public transportation 62% to 32% against former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to The New York Times. Running as the Democratic nominee, Mamdani also won precincts with plurality-Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations, while Cuomo, running on an independent ballot line, won white voters by 13 points.

Advertisement

Quinnipiac University found that Mamdani’s strongest support came from voters ages 18 to 34, non-religious voters and Asian Americans. Cuomo performed best with Jewish voters. Exit polls showed 75% of young voters backed Mamdani.

Another Mamdani-backed candidate, former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman 65.8% to 34.0% on June 23. Lander has not identified as a DSA member, but he campaigned alongside Mamdani, Chevalier, Valdez, and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Goldman won heavily in Orthodox Jewish areas such as Borough Park, where Trump received strong support in 2024. The Times showed Goldman winning several precincts there with more than 90% of the vote. Lander, meanwhile, ran strongly in areas such as Park Slope, where residents are heavily college-educated, and the median household income is more than $200,000.

The same income split appeared in that race as well. Goldman won lower-income areas by 13.8 points, while Lander won higher-income areas by 40.6 points, according to the Times.

The Western Journal