Race to the Mid-Terms
Mamdani-backed socialist wins in New York expose growing rift between Democratic establishment
Ahead of this week's closely watched Democratic congressional primaries in New York, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stressed that the party "must change." On Tuesday, the 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor of the nation's most populous city took a major step toward that goal as three far-left congressional candidates he endorsed and campaigned tirelessly for defeated more mainstream Democrats, including two incumbents. The victories by the Mamdani-backed candidates guarantee that the number of Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates will at least double in the next Congress and give Republicans further ammunition as they continue to portray all Democrats as far-left radicals. A decade after progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont came close to capturing the Democratic presidential nomination, and eight years after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez burst onto the national stage by ousting then-House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley in a shocking primary upset, the far left appears further emboldened as it takes on the center-left establishment in a high-stakes battle for the future of the party. Darializa Avila Chevalier, the 32-year-old Mamdani-backed community organizer and democratic socialist who narrowly topped incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat, the 71-year-old Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair and the first Dominican American elected to the U.S. House, called her victory a "clear mandate." Mamdani-endorsed state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who won her primary on Tuesday in New York's 7th District, emphasized in her victory speech that "we haven't just won an election. We have declared that this movement is durable — that it is growing, and that it will not stop until working people are no longer asked to just build the table, no longer just offered a seat at the table, but will run the table." In the race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Valdez topped the congresswoman's handpicked candidate, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, by over 20 points. Mamdani, whose kingmaker status was dramatically boosted by the primary victories, said Wednesday that he sees "these results as a reflection of the fact that New Yorkers are hungry for a new kind of politics."
The Patriot Oasis
French citizen who cast ballot in 2022 midterms says New Jersey registered him to vote
Attorneys representing a French national who recently admitted to illegally casting a ballot in the 2022 federal midterm elections told Fox News Digital that he thought he was allowed to vote because he was automatically registered when he received his New Jersey driver’s license. Eliezer Kadoch, 39, of Toms River, pleaded guilty to voting by an alien in a federal election before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Brandon Day in Trenton federal court, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. Though Kadoch is a citizen of France and has never held U.S. citizenship, he illegally voted on Nov. 8, 2022, during an election that was held in part to elect members of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to court documents. Attorney Yosef Jacobovitch, who is representing Kadoch, says that when his client cast the ballot, he "mistakenly believed" he was legally permitted to vote because he had been automatically registered when he obtained his New Jersey driver’s license. "Mr. Kadoch accepted responsibility for his actions," Jacobovitch said. "... There was never any intent to violate the law or cast an unlawful ballot. Unfortunately, the offense to which he pleaded guilty does not require proof of criminal intent, and he now fully understands that." Kadoch now faces up to six months in federal prison and a $100,000 fine, according to officials. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26.
The Patriot Oasis