Hakeem Jeffries spent months guaranteeing Democrats would take back the House in November.
Then Democrat voters in his own home state of New York had other ideas.
What they did next sent CNN's numbers man on live television with a warning Republicans will use all the way to November.
Mamdani Swept All Three New York Primaries and Sent Socialists to Congress
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed three Democratic Socialist U.S. House candidates and went three for three.
Brad Lander crushed Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District.
Claire Valdez wiped out Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to claim the 7th District seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez.
And union organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat – chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – in the 13th District by more than 2,300 votes.
All three districts are safely blue in November, meaning Mamdani just sent three Democratic Socialists to Congress.
In college, Chevalier founded an organization that called for the "total eradication of Western civilization."
Her policy positions match: abolish ICE, abolish the police, stop all deportations, and she has labeled veterans war criminals.
CNN Polling Shows Democratic Socialists of America 27 Points Underwater Nationally
Data guru Harry Enten didn't sugarcoat it on CNN.
The Democratic Socialists of America sit at plus-17 net favorability among Democrats nationwide – popular inside the base.
Among all voters, the DSA sits 27 points underwater.
That is a 44-point swing in the wrong direction the moment you step outside Democrat primary voters.
Enten said there is a reason Republicans are "licking their chops" – because what wins in New York City Democrat primaries is political poison with the broader American electorate.
Democrat voters have warmed to socialism by 16 points since 2010, with 66% now viewing it positively.
Among everyone else the number barely moved – sitting at 30%, nearly identical to where it was fifteen years ago.
Google searches for "DSA" hit an all-time high this week – up 140% from when Mamdani won his mayoral primary a year ago.
More Americans are looking up the Democratic Socialists of America than at any point in the country's history – and what they find is a platform calling for open borders, abolishing ICE, and ending all deportations.
James Carville Calls for Democrat Party Schism After Socialist Primary Sweep
The panic set in before the votes were even certified.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey didn't mince words: "Obviously, the socialists had a big win last night. The question is, are we going to let them take over the party? Or are we going to stand up and fight back? Many of us believe, as I do, that if you're a socialist, you're not a Democrat."
One Democrat sitting in a battleground district told CNN they have already begun having serious conversations with donors about leaving the party altogether next term over the rise of what members are now calling the "Mamdani wing."
James Carville didn't just panic – he called for a schism.
"They should not seat her in the caucus," Carville said of Chevalier on NewsNation. "Her views are totally against anything that any Democrat has. She is not a Democrat."
He went further on a separate appearance, declaring the Democrat Party now contains "some sh*** I can't be in the same tent with" – and said it is time to start using "the 's' word: schism."
Jeffries went in front of reporters and insisted Mamdani's sweep would not reverberate in battleground districts.
Nobody believed him.
Democrat voters handed Republicans the attack ad, the polling data, and Chevalier's words about Western civilization – and CNN's numbers confirmed the margin that makes it a November catastrophe.
Every Republican running in a competitive district now has that footage ready to run on a loop from Labor Day through Election Day.
Jeffries guaranteed Democrats would take the House.
Democrat voters just made sure that could be an empty promise.
Sources:
- Alex Griffing, "Republicans Nationwide Are Licking their Chops: CNN's Harry Enten Warns Dem Socialists 'Not Popular At All'," Mediaite, June 25, 2026.
- Sarah Ferris, Ellis Kim, and Annie Grayer, "House Democrats' Anxiety Rises After Wins by Mamdani-Backed Candidates," CNN, June 24, 2026.
- Nikolas Lanum, "Carville Says NY Primary Winner Should Not Join Democratic Caucus," Fox News, June 25, 2026.
- "Carville Says He Wouldn't Seat Mamdani-Backed Avila Chevalier in Caucus: 'She's Not a Democrat'," The Hill, June 25, 2026.