Darializa Avila Chevalier: pro-Palestinian doctoral student steps into politics with ‘faith in the future’

Key Points:

• Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old political newcomer and Democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary in New York’s 13th congressional district, defeating incumbent Adriano Espaillat with over 49% of the vote. If she wins the general election, she will be the first Dominican woman elected to Congress.
• Avila Chevalier faced significant opposition, including millions spent by Super PACs supporting Espaillat, as well as racist and Islamophobic attacks falsely questioning her Dominican heritage and linking her to Haitian and Muslim communities to stoke division.
• Her campaign focused on progressive policies such as universal healthcare, stronger renter protections, abolishing ICE, and banning big PACs from elections, while criticizing Espaillat for his ties to wealthy donors and lack of responsiveness to district needs, including his stance on Israel’s war in Gaza.
• The victory highlights the growing influence of New York’s mayor and the Democratic Socialists of America, with all three mayor-backed congressional candidates and nine out of ten DSA candidates winning on primary night, signaling a surge for the left in US elections.
• Avila Chevalier’s background includes activism on campus at Columbia University and community organizing, with endorsements from prominent progressives like Ilhan Omar and Zohran Mamdani, who reversed his initial support for Espaillat to back her candidacy.