She defeated a veteran Democrat and upset the party establishment. Here’s her strategy for Congress | CNN Politics

This August’s Dominican Heritage Reception at Gracie Mansion brought in a different crowd from years past. Dozens of Dominican Americans, including activists more used to protesting than attending the event, mingled over trays of cheese empanadas and sancocho. Dressed in a butter yellow guayabera, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took a moment to shout out the notable community members in the crowd. The longest, loudest applause went to Darializa Avila Chevalier, the 32-year-old democratic socialist who defeated the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in June’s Democratic primary. Such friendly audiences, she knows, may become a rarity as she braces for Congress. As the Democratic Party’s socialist summer comes to a close, Avila Chevalier has become one of the most polarizing — and potentially most influential — faces of an insurgency that has bested several congressional incumbents and left the party at a crossroads. Ahead of the midterms, the party is now grappling with the power Avila Chevalier and at least four other democratic socialist nominees could have if Democrats take back the House in November. If House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries wins a single-