SouthernWorldwide.com – New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly reaffirmed his support for fellow democratic socialist and U.S. Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, despite the recent emergence of controversial deleted social media posts attributed to Chevalier.
Avila Chevalier, 32, a prominent community organizer and former leader of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, had made a series of inflammatory statements between 2018 and 2022. These now-deleted posts, according to reports, criticized the United States, the Democratic Party, private property, and law enforcement. She also advocated for nationalizing significant portions of the private sector.
Chevalier is currently engaged in a competitive race to unseat five-term incumbent Representative Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat representing New York’s 13th congressional district. This district encompasses Upper Manhattan and extends into parts of the west Bronx.
In a 2021 repost, Avila Chevalier reportedly stated that the abolition of borders, prisons, and police was “possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward.” Further echoing sentiments from other deleted posts, she is reported to have said that “all deportation is wrong” and explicitly, “Yes, literally abolish the border.”
One of the now-deleted posts, as reported by CNN, indicated Avila Chevalier’s stance that “all deportation is wrong” and further stated, “Yes, literally abolish the border.”
Mamdani, who has previously defended his own past social media activity, is now facing questions about his endorsement of Chevalier given these resurfaced remarks.
Another deleted post reportedly quoted Avila Chevalier as saying, “This country is a f—–g disgrace.”
In a separate alleged statement, she is reported to have commented, “I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me.”
Further reports indicate that Avila Chevalier referred to former President Joe Biden as a “rapist” and a “war criminal.” She also reportedly criticized Senator Bernie Sanders for his “liberal Zionism” and expressed strong disapproval of Vice President Kamala Harris with the statement, “F–k Kamala Harris.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Avila Chevalier proposed a series of drastic economic measures. These included demanding the government provide $3,000 per month in universal basic income, nationalizing utilities, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals, suspending mortgage and rent payments, seizing private property from landlords, dissolving insurance companies, and expanding Medicare to all citizens.
Despite the controversial nature of these past statements, Mamdani has chosen to stand by his fellow socialist candidate. He reiterated his support during a press conference on Wednesday.
“When it comes to Darializa’s campaign, I had not seen those tweets and what I’ve heard from her and what I know a lot of others in the district that have heard from her is that her views have evolved and that the campaign she is running on is reflective of what she’s going to be fighting for,” Mamdani stated.
He continued to elaborate on his reasoning, highlighting Avila Chevalier’s community activism. “And frankly, when I see a candidate who has a record like she does of freeing New Yorkers who are unjustly detained by ICE, of standing up for the working person who has often been left out of our politics, especially in a district that has so many of the same themes that we’re speaking of today — a fear of displacement, a fear of being pushed out of a place you helped to build — I think that she would be an incredible champion for that district and for the city as a whole,” Mamdani added.
Mamdani initially endorsed Avila Chevalier in late May, expressing confidence in her commitment to underserved communities.
“She grew up with a commitment to the very people that politics have left behind, and what I see in her is that commitment fulfilled,” the progressive mayor said on MS NOW. “I can’t wait for her to be introduced to so many across the city and across this country as we fight for that affordability agenda, from New York City to D.C.”
New York’s primary election for this congressional seat is scheduled for June 23.
