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

Mamdani-backed candidate won New York’s 13th congressional district with no experience in office but ideas for how politics can ‘actually invest in life’ Mamdani-backed candidates sweep Democratic primaries in New York City In the months leading up to New York’s primary election, the 32-year-old political newcomer Darializa Avila Chevalier faced a barrage of negative ads. Super Pacs supporting her opponent – the veteran incumbent Adriano Espaillat – spent millions trying to stop her. And as an endorsement from Avila Chevalier’s fellow Democratic socialist, Zohran Mamdani, boosted her odds, the attacks turned racist, with false accusations suggesting she was lying about her Dominican ethnicity. But on Tuesday, Avila Chevalier defied predictions and seized a stunning win in New York’s 13th congressional district, which spans upper Manhattan, including Harlem, and parts of The Bronx – with more than 49% of the vote. If she wins the general election in November, she will be the first Dominican woman elected to Congress. During her victory speech, at a jubilant watch party at a popular Puerto Rican restaurant uptown, Avila Chevalier called the result “a new dawn” f