SouthernWorldwide.com – A socialist candidate with a history of anti-American rhetoric, endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has won a contentious Democratic primary race in New York’s 13th Congressional District.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, 32, a community organizer and alumna of Columbia University, emerged victorious over five-term incumbent Representative Adriano Espaillat. Chevalier was known for her leftist activism during her time at Columbia, including her involvement with a group that later posted “Death to America” on social media.
Chevalier, who positioned herself to the left of prominent progressive figures like former Vice President Kamala Harris, has faced scrutiny for past statements on issues such as private property, law enforcement, and border policy. Her now-deleted posts from 2018 to 2022 also advocated for the nationalization of significant portions of the private sector.
In a 2021 repost, Chevalier stated that abolishing borders, prisons, and police is “possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward.” She also echoed sentiments suggesting “all deportation is wrong” and advocating to “literally abolish the border,” according to a CNN report.
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Chevalier’s past remarks included strong condemnations of the United States, with one post stating, “This country is a f—–g disgrace.”
Another reported comment involved her saying, “I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me.”
Furthermore, she reportedly labeled former President Joe Biden a “rapist” and “war criminal,” criticized Senator Bernie Sanders for his “liberal Zionism,” and expressed strong negative sentiments towards Kamala Harris.
Despite these controversies, Chevalier secured the Democratic nomination, benefiting from Mamdani’s endorsement and the shifting political landscape within New York’s increasingly left-leaning electorate.
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During a recent debate with Espaillat, who immigrated to the U.S. before becoming a citizen and entering politics, Chevalier reiterated her stance against deporting undocumented immigrants, even those convicted of violent crimes and having served jail time.
She has also been critical of Black and Arab men for what she described as “fetishizing ugly colonizer women,” referring to white women.
Mamdani, who first endorsed Chevalier in May, has stood by his support, testing the strength of his socialist backing. He has argued that Chevalier’s views have evolved and her current campaign reflects her future priorities.
“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 when questioned about her controversial comments.
“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,” he added.
The 13th Congressional District of New York includes Upper Manhattan and a portion of the West Bronx. Historically, this district has not been represented by a Republican.
With her Democratic nomination secured, Chevalier is widely expected to win the general election in November, as the district’s political leanings make a Republican victory highly improbable.
