Brad Lander secures key New York Democratic primary victory as Micah Lasher defeats Kennedy heir

Meanwhile, Micah Lasher, a New York state lawmaker, has won the Democratic primary for a coveted open House seat in Manhattan, according to the Associated Press.

Lasher, 44, bet on an old-school campaign built around experience, policy knowledge and government credentials at a time when many Democratic voters nationwide are demanding outsider energy and anti-establishment voices.

But the result suggested that voters in one of America’s wealthiest and most highly educated districts still favour seasoned liberal heavyweights over celebrity and political spectacle.

Lasher was backed by Representative Jerrold Nadler, the retiring congressman whose seat he is set to inherit.

Kennedy heir finishes third

With 85 percent of ballots counted, Lasher led with 39 percent of the vote, ahead of fellow assemblyman Alex Bores, whose campaign became the centre of a $27 million proxy battle between rival factions within the artificial intelligence industry.

Jack Schlossberg, whose candidacy drew huge attention, finished a distant third with 11 percent.

Schlossberg is the grandson of President John F. Kennedy and the grand-nephew of Senator Ted Kennedy.

The race for New York’s 12th Congressional District stood apart from other closely watched primaries across the state.

While several contests became ideological battlegrounds, this campaign unfolded as a more personality-driven fight among establishment liberals.