When even the Democrat Party’s most reliable TV defender starts hedging and hand-wringing about her own party’s direction, you know something went sideways. The New York City primaries produced results that have establishment Democrats tying themselves in knots. And even Jessica Tarlov seems to recognize this is bad news for the party.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Five, Fox News contributor and resident loony leftist Jessica Tarlov didn’t exactly put on a brave face. The conversation turned to the NYC primaries, where far-left Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates knocked off established incumbent House Democrats, including Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), a senior member of Congress, and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), the former lead counsel in the Democrats’ first impeachment of President Donald Trump. When the subject of how party officials responded to the fallout came up, Tarlov didn’t hold back.
“I don’t know who responded that way, but they should not arguably have that job because that’s not how you talk to a constituent, and it’s not how you address what is a very serious fissure within our party and something that could end up co-opting certainly the national attention on the party,” Tarlov said.
A serious fissure. Her words, not mine.
Tarlov tried to find a silver lining for the party. She pointed to Kate Conley in New York’s 17th congressional district, who now faces Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in the general election. “If I wanted to be glass-half-full, I would tell you all about Kate Conley in New York 17, who’s going to be running against Mike Lawler,” Tarlov said. “Six combat tours, Iraq and Afghanistan, national security background. She was the candidate Mike Lawler didn’t want to face and he’s going to. She could pick up that seat.”
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She also flagged Ben McAdams in Utah, a moderate former congressman who lost his seat to redistricting in 2020. He came back, ran again, and beat a field of far-left candidates for the nomination. In Tarlov’s view, those are the kinds of picks that could help House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) reach 218 seats.
But the optimism faded fast, and with good reason. Even more palatable candidates have to answer for the direction their party is going, and that can hurt them significantly.
As for what happened with New York City, Tarlov seemed a bit rattled by what happened to Espaillat. For one thing, Espaillat is no moderate. He supports Medicare for All, chairs the Hispanic Caucus, and was the first illegal immigrant ever to serve in Congress. “That is a story to be celebrated,” Tarlov said.
Celebrated isn’t the word I’d use, but I digress. The point is, he’s everything the far-left would want in a representative, yet voters knocked him out anyway. The Mamdani-backed candidates who beat him and other incumbents will arrive in Washington as total unknowns with no ability to deliver results for their constituents.
“If you wanna get stuff done in Washington, you know what matters? Seniority. And you know who had seniority? Espaillat,” Tarlov said. “What’s gonna happen now when you’re sending these three novices essentially down there, right, who don’t know how to fight in Appropriations.”
In fact, the chaos doesn’t stop there. At the victory parties for the winning candidates, the crowd apparently aimed higher than just a House seat. “At the celebration parties, there were people chanting, ‘You’re next! You’re next!’ About Hakeem Jeffries,” Tarlov said. She saw through it immediately. “You think that he’s gonna be smiling at you and saying, ‘Yeah, I’m here to give you whatever you want.'”
Tarlov also floated the possibility that Espaillat might run as an independent in the general election, which would split the vote and scramble every race he touches. The Democrat Party in New York City looks like a party at war with itself, and the national party knows it. And even Tarlov admits it.
NYC is deep blue, so DSA-style candidates can win here. And it was undoubtedly a great night for Mamdani.
The real test, though, is whether that politics can win swing districts and help Democrats get to 218 seats. That’s where Cait Conley in NY-17 and Ben McAdams in UT-1 come… pic.twitter.com/cepqiQRN8S
— Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) June 25, 2026
Republicans should be paying close attention.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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