Darializa Avila Chevalier, a pro-Palestinian doctoral student and political newcomer, has won the Democratic primary in New York's 13th congressional district, defeating five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat. The 32-year-old, backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America, faced a barrage of negative ads and racist attacks questioning her Dominican heritage.
Avila Chevalier secured over 49% of the vote in the district covering upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. If she wins the general election in November, she would become the first Dominican woman elected to Congress. During her victory speech, she called the result 'a new dawn' for her district.
Her campaign focused on universal healthcare, stronger renter protections, abolishing ICE, and banning large political action committees. She accused Espaillat of being beholden to wealthy donors, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which spent $650,000 opposing her. Her signature pledge was 'babies, not bombs'.
Avila Chevalier's win cements the role of the Democratic Socialists of America as a rising force in US elections. Nine out of ten DSA-backed candidates won their primaries on Tuesday. She was recruited by Justice Democrats, the group that backed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's upset victory a decade ago.
