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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., issued a stark warning after a trio of far-left candidates prevailed in New York’s primaries, saying communism is now “on our own shores.”
“It is a very serious time,” Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday. “Every American needs to wake up and understand the threat.”
“The Marxists have nominated some of the most radical candidates to ever run for office, and they’re running for Congress,” he continued. “The insurgent left is on the rise.”
Johnson delivered the remarks after progressive hopefuls Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier, backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), unseated two Democratic incumbents. A third socialist candidate, State Assembly member Claire Valdez, D-N.Y., won an open House seat with Mamdani and the DSA’s endorsement.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS
All three far-left candidates are poised to win election in November given Democrats’ overwhelming advantages in the deep-blue districts. The slate of candidates is fiercely critical of Israel, supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and wants to enact a wealth tax, among other progressive policy stances.
Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old activist who participated in the pro-Palestinian protests that rocked Columbia University following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has come under particular scrutiny for since-deleted social media posts, reviewed by CNN, in which she claimed, “Israel doesn’t exist,” expressed support for open borders and stated, “All deportation is wrong.”
The Mamdani ally, who has voiced support for the prison abolition movement, declined to say whether a man who randomly murdered another individual should go to jail during an interview with the Substack publication, The New York Editorial Board.
She has also faced scrutiny for describing former President Joe Biden as “a rapist” and writing, “F— Kamala Harris,” in 2021 after the ex-vice president told Guatemalan nationals not to illegally cross into the country.
In a major upset, Avila Chevalier ended the political career of Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chairman of the influential Congressional Hispanic Caucus who has highlighted his background as the first former illegal immigrant elected to Congress.
Johnson also lamented the defeat of Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., a Jewish lawmaker who faced antisemitic attacks over his support for Israel in the final days of the race. Lander, Goldman’s Mamdani-backed challenger, is also Jewish and has vowed to support the Palestinian cause in Congress.
Congressional candidates Claire Valdez, left, Brad Lander, second from left, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, right, raise their hands with Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a Get Out the Vote rally in New York City on June 18, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
FROM WASSERMAN SCHULTZ TO GOLDMAN, DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS ARE FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL
“This is not your father’s Democrat Party,” Johnson said, pointing to both incumbents’ losses.
The top Republican has repeatedly warned about the far-left’s growing electoral power since Mamdani’s upset mayoral victory last year. He cast the ascendant socialist flank as a stark contrast to Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.
“We’ve been saying for months it’s a contrast election,” the speaker said. “We’ve been saying it’s a contrast between commonsense and crazy. That’s exactly what’s going on. They give us new illustrations every day.”
Johnson also called attention to Democratic House candidate Mai Vang, a socialist who is running to unseat longtime Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif. Vang has faced backlash after videos surfaced showing her declining to face the American flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance as a member of the Sacramento city council.
“There are mini Mamdanis popping up all around the country. It is a dangerous thing. This is not a joke. We’re in a fight right now to save the Republic,” Johnson said.
Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang listens to a speaker during a rally against ICE arrests and deportations in front of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in downtown Sacramento. (Getty Images)
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Johnson’s warning comes as the far-left streamer Hasan Piker said earlier in June that a sweeping victory for the Mamdani-backed candidates would help advance the socialist movement’s broader policy goals.
“For the longest time, I thought we were so far away from socialism, and we might still be far away from socialism, but we do have an opportunity right here, right now, more than ever before,” Piker said at a rally in Brooklyn for DSA-endorsed candidates.
