Hunter Biden criticizes establishment politics in post on NY primaries

Hunter Biden criticized establishment Democrats in a post on Tuesday's New York primaries, where progressives and socialists won big.

The son of former President Joe Biden said that Democrats are running away from their own voters, and praised Zohran Mamdani for his governing.

Here's what to know.

Hunter Biden's post on NY primaries

On Tuesday night, three Mamdani-backed candidates, two of whom are DSA members, snagged big victories in congressional primaries for the state. Darializa Avila Chevalier, alongside Claire Valdez and Brad Lander, all defeated establishment Democrats in a blow to big names in the party, including Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul, who backed the two incumbents.

After the big win, Biden gave his own takeaways from the highly-contested races, including criticizing his father's party.

"Endorsements from the current Democratic leadership now read like warnings. The establishment wing of the party is no longer a sword. It's a question mark," Biden wrote in a X post on Wednesday.

"Conviction beats caution. The candidates who said hard things about rent, about who pays for what, about Gaza, they won. The triangulators lost," he continued.

He then said that the cost of living is "everything," and that Democrats shouldn't shy away from voters.

"Don't fear the base. Court it. The Democrats who ran from their own voters lost. The ones who ran toward them won."

In one of his points, Biden said of Mamdani: "If you want to lead a party you have to be willing to fight inside it. Mamdani didn't ask permission. He took the field."

"The lesson under the lessons: the country is tired of being managed. People want to be led."

Former President Joe Biden did not make any endorsements for the NY primaries, and has kept a low-profile since leaving office.

Some in the party, however, have criticized Mamdani for his endorsements. New York Attorney General Letitia James told CNN that "all of us are a little frustrated with the Democratic Party. But you don't blow it up. That's what MAGA has done."

"Some of the candidates that he has supported are individuals who do not understand the politics of New York City, the cultural differences from district to district, who have not been part of the history and the struggle of some of these districts, and are relatively new to the body politic."

Jeffries also expressed frustration with Mamdani after the key wins in three New York districts.

"The mayor and I agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements," he said of Mamdani not supporting incumbents. “He’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he's going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” He did clarify that Mamdani and him have a good working relationship after the comments.

Republicans, however, think the results could provide a boost for them. In a press conference Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that if a democratic socialist were to be a presidential nominee, it could make it easier for Republicans.