Socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier upset a top House Democrat during New York’s Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District on Tuesday night, notching a significant victory for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who threw his weight behind her in the race.
Avila Chevalier, 32, defeated Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) in a shocking upset for the top Hispanic Democrat in the House. The Associated Press called the race at 10:38 p.m. With 87% of ballots counted, Avila Chevalier received 49.4% of the vote, while Espaillat earned 46%.
Espaillat’s loss to Avila Chevalier all but ensures the socialist will be elected to the House, given the dark-blue hue of the Harlem-area district. The race’s result is a promising sign for Mamdani, whose endorsement of Avila Chevalier was one of three House endorsements the socialist mayor made in Tuesday night’s primaries. Mamdani’s endorsement of Avila Chevalier came as a surprise, as the mayor reportedly promised to back Espaillat after he endorsed Mamdani for mayor in June.
Avila Chevalier, a political activist who touts her involvement in Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian encampment, rode the progressive wave that installed Mamdani as New York City’s mayor in the primary race and used the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s support of Espaillat as a cudgel in the race.
The race was viewed as one of the most competitive primaries in the city, and turned bitter in recent days, with Avila Chevalier accusing surrogates for Espaillat’s campaign of spreading accusations that she is not of Dominican descent and is instead Haitian.
“In the final days of this campaign, I have been hit with attacks that use Haitian as a slur, a coordinated wave of Islamophobia, lies about my identity, my faith, and my family,” Avila Chevalier claimed in a video posted to Instagram on Monday. “Espaillat supporters are standing at poll sites in our district, shouting lies and slinging racial slurs.”
On Tuesday, Espaillat told a local reporter that he condemned the rhetoric and has asked for people to “tone it down.”
The 71-year-old lawmaker was the first Dominican American elected to the House and sported significant backing from Democratic groups, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Latino Victory Fund, and BOLD America.
LANDER DEFEATS GOLDMAN IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR NEW YORK’S 10TH DISTRICT
Espaillat has been in Congress since 2017 and is a close ally of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). A staunch immigration reform advocate, he came to the United States as a child with his family on travel visas, which they overstayed. His family later left the U.S. in order to obtain green cards before returning.
His defeat is the latest example of the Democratic umbrella pushing for generational change.
