Darializa Avila Chevalier, a progressive Democrat backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is challenging five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the 13th congressional district primary, arguing the district has deteriorated under his leadership.
Avila Chevalier Calls for Change After 30 Years of Incumbency
At a recent candidate forum hosted by WNYC, Espaillat, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, questioned Avila Chevalier's experience, saying, “Getting results in Congress is not a PhD program,” referencing her studies at the City University of New York. However, Avila Chevalier countered that Espaillat has failed to deliver results since taking office in 2017.
“You just have to look around our district and ask: have things gotten any better in the nine years that he’s been in office?” she told the Guardian. “I would argue the answer is no, because we’ve seen an exodus of over 200,000 Black New Yorkers leave the city in the last two decades.”
District Demographics and Poverty Crisis
The 13th district covers upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, including Harlem and Washington Heights, with a large Afro-Latino population. Espaillat was the first Dominican American and first formerly undocumented immigrant in Congress. According to an annual poverty tracker by Robin Hood and Columbia University, 26% of New York City residents lived in poverty in 2024, and about 35% of children in the district are in poverty.
“He has been in office in some capacity for 30 years, and it’s time for a change,” Avila Chevalier said. “It’s time for a politics that actually puts the working people of our communities first.”
Mamdani's Endorsements and Progressive Coalition
Mamdani has endorsed Avila Chevalier, along with Claire Valdez in the 7th district and Brad Lander in the 10th. The trio appeared in a basketball-themed ad during the NBA finals. On Thursday, Mamdani and Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally for the three candidates. Avila Chevalier served as Mamdani's organizing lead in the district, where he beat former Governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly 60% to 40% in the mayoral primary; Espaillat had endorsed Cuomo.
Avila Chevalier's Background and Platform
Avila Chevalier, 32, has lived in New York for 14 years and feels “deeply abandoned by the establishment politics.” She organized at Columbia University against sexual violence, with Students for Justice in Palestine and the Black Student Organization, and on issues like mass incarceration and immigration justice. She works as a public defense investigator while completing a PhD at CUNY, where she is a member of the United Auto Workers Local 2325, which endorsed her.
“That really changed the course of my education and my PhD program, to be able to be part of a union that fought for me my work conditions, my wage,” she said. Her platform includes universal healthcare, renters' protections, funding children's programs over war, abolishing ICE, banning Super PACs, and prohibiting congressional stock trading.
Campaign Finance and Opposition
Avila Chevalier claims Espaillat is beholden to wealthy donors, including AIPAC. Espaillat's office did not respond to comment requests. She has been targeted by the pro-Israel doxing site Canary Mission for her pro-Palestine activism at Columbia; the site was used by DHS in 2025 to target Palestinian activists for deportation.
An internal poll in March showed Espaillat leading 42% to 28%, but a June Data for Progress poll found Avila Chevalier ahead 39% to 35%. She is endorsed by the New York City Democratic Socialists and Justice Democrats.
