New York mayor endorses DSA-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier against incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat for Congress

By Claudia Irizarry Aponte, The City Reporter
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May 28 10:10pm EDT

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday endorsed political newcomer Darializa Avila Chevalier in her primary against incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, shaking up the race for the Upper Manhattan and Bronx House seat where the mayor grew up.

Mamdani made a joint appearance with Avila Chevalier, a fellow Democratic Socialists of America member, on MS NOW to announce his support of her campaign for New York’s 13th Congressional district.

“This is a New Yorker who has not only secured the release of our neighbors from undue ICE custody, also someone who has been on the front lines of that fight for affordability, and 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 DC,” he said.

Espaillat has represented the 13th district for nearly a decade, since he wrested it from the Harlem political machine to establish himself as the dean of Dominican elected officials. He is the first Dominican and formerly undocumented immigrant elected to Congress, and is the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Progressives have long sensed an opening in Upper Manhattan, where Mamdani won the Democratic primary last June by double digit margins. Espaillat endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary, but later threw his support behind Mamdani for the general election.

Avila Chevalier was a high-level volunteer for the Mamdani campaign, leading his canvassing efforts in Upper Manhattan.

In a statement after Mamdani's endorsement, Espaillat touted support from labor unions and prominent Democrats for his re-election, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James.

“Mayor Mamdani is entitled to support the candidate of his choice. But one endorsement does not make a race. Voters do,” he said.

“I will continue doing what I have always done, listening to voters, showing up in every corner of the district, and earning support by meeting voters where they are and fighting for the issues that matter most to them.”

Asked by THE CITY earlier this month, Espaillat did not say whether he and the mayor had directly discussed his primary. “We have discussions on a regular basis,” he said, without providing specifics.

An internal poll from the Avila Chevalier campaign, the only available so far in this primary, shows soft support for Espaillat. Avila Chevalier was the only candidate to outraise an incumbent in the first quarter of the year, though he has more cash on hand than her as of mid-April, the most recent filing deadline.

Mamdani mobilized his supporters quickly. About an hour after his MS NOW appearance, his campaign solicited donations on behalf of Avila Chevalier, texts obtained by THE CITY show.

Espaillat and his supporters appear to have taken the challenge from his left seriously. 

At least two political action groups have pledged a joint $1.35 million to boost Espaillat’s re-election to his Upper Manhattan and Bronx seat, as he attempts to fend off Avila Chevalier.

Latino Victory Fund, a prominent PAC with deep ties to Espaillat’s inner circle, announced last week it intends to spend $750,000 in the race, mostly on TV ads. Another group, BOLD America, pledged $600,000 according to filings first reported by Axios.

Groups backing Avila Chevalier have also boosted their spending in the race. Justice Democrats, which recruited her to run last year, is backing the cycle’s first negative ad to the tune of $250,000. 

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