NEW CITY, N.Y.- The battle for the House majority will be won or lost in congressional districts like New York-17, NY-3, and NY-4, three crucial swing seats in suburban New York City.And as Republicans work to hold onto their razor-thin House majority in this autumn's midterm elections, they view the ongoing battle between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party as political ammunition as they portray Democrats as radicals."Democrats have gone further and further and further to the left with no end in sight," Republican Rep.
Mike Lawler argued in a Fox News Digital interview.Lawler, a two-term lawmaker who represents NY-17, which covers much of New York City's northern suburbs, spoke soon after three far-left Democrats backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated more moderate, establishment-backed rivals in showdowns that drew outsized national attention.MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTYCongressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King's Theater on June 18, 2026, in New York City.(Michael M.
Santiago/Getty Images)Two of primary winners were aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and two of the defeated candidates were congressional incumbents."My district is impacted significantly by what happens in New York City.Many of my constituents work in the city, they're cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers," Lawler said.He charged that "these radical socialists are taking over the Democratic Party, not just for Congress, but the state legislature.
And as I said last year, Zohran Mamdani would become the face of the Democratic Party and its leader, and that is precisely what he is doing."Lawler's Democratic challenger in the midterms is not backed by either the DSA or two other far-left groups, t...