Progressive challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier pulled off a shocking win over incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary battle in upper Manhattan’s NY-13 Congressional District, with Espaillat conceding the race just after 10:30 p,m. in the deep-blue stronghold where Mayor Mamdani flexed his political power.
Chevalier led with 49% of the vote compared to 46% for Espaillat with about 90% of the votes counted, leading Espaillat to tell supporters: “It wasn’t our night.”
“You are seeing a new dawn for this district,” Chevalier said told a cheering crowd, with Mamdani by her side. “Today we make it clear, the politics of the past ends today.”
Chevalier vowed to be a new kind of leader for the district that decisively backed Mamdani in last year’s mayoral race.
“For too long, Uptown and the Bronx have been overlooked, let down, and neglected,” Chevalier said. “We deserve leadership in Washington that will fight tooth and nail for every single one of us, and I can’t wait to get to work with our community to deliver on that promise.”
As for why he backed her campaign, Mamdani told the crowd, “I can think of no better person than the daughter of a single-mother caseworker who has stood up for New Yorkers unjustly detained by ICE, who stood for a foreign policy of investing in babies and not bombs. I can think of no one better than someone of clarity and conscience.”
Harking back to his own primary election win one year ago, the mayor said the victories by Chevalier and allies Tuesday night proves the DSA movement in New York City is no fluke.
“We are showing that last June, a year ago tomorrow, was not an anomaly,” he said. “It was the beginning.”
Halfway through Chevalier’s victory speech, the crowd erupted into chants of “Free Free Palestine!”
Among the crowd was pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who blamed Espaillat for failing to stand up for him when immigration agents detained him.
“I feel like I got some justice with all the injustice that happened to me,” Khalil told The News.
Also there was another prominent Palestinian activist, Linda Sarsour. Speaking before the election was called, she told The News, “If Dari wins this, it will be the biggest upset since AOC. This will replicate 2018.”
Espaillat, a five-term incumbent and longtime Democratic leader, faced a surprising fight for his political life in an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Chevalier in the fast-changing district stretching from Harlem to Washington Heights and a slice of the west Bronx. AP called the race with Chevalier leading by just 3,000 votes.
The bitter fight represented a key test of Mamdani’s political sway as he seeks to put his imprint on the city’s levers of power by challenging the Democratic Party establishment, including some entrenched Latino political leaders like Espaillat.
The mayor endorsed Chevalier, 32, in the final weeks of the campaign as polls showed the previously little known progressive pro-Palestinian activist with a solid chance to unseat Espaillat.
An eloquent speaker and effective, grass-roots campaigner, Chevalier was counting on support from Mamdani and Democratic Socialists of America activists to help her pull off an upset. Chevalier, the daughter of Dominican immigrants, took heat for a long string of pugnacious tweets from her activist days, including some profanity laced attacks on Kamala Harris and other national Democratic leaders.
The Dominican-born Espaillat, 72, is the powerful chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who has held the seat for a decade without facing a serious challenge.
The only previously undocumented immigrant in Congress boasts deep roots in the Washington Heights heartland of the district and even built a network of political proteges dubbed the Squadriano.
He’s a reliable liberal vote and an ally of the Democratic leadership, including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. But progressives say he’s far too moderate, especially on Israel, and not outspoken enough for one of the most heavily Democratic districts in the entire nation.
Analysts say Mamdani took a big political gamble by breaking with Espaillat. The congressman originally endorsed ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral primary but switched to Mamdani’s side in the general election, reportedly after winning a commitment from Mamdani not to oppose him in the future.
