Progressive challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier ousted Rep. Adriano Espaillat on Tuesday night in the Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District in a major upset that underscored the influence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political movement.
The victory by Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who helped organize pro-Palestinian encampments at Columbia University, marked a stunning defeat for Espaillat, a five-term congressman and influential member of New York’s Democratic establishment.
With 86% of the votes counted, Avila Chevalier led Espaillat by about 3.3 percentage points, with Avila Chevalier receiving 49.3% and Espaillat drawing 46%.
The district, which stretches across upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, is heavily Democratic, meaning Avila Chevalier will be strongly positioned heading into the November general election.
Avila Chevalier’s win added to a growing tally of Mamdani-endorsed congressional candidate victories in New York City on Tuesday, including Brad Lander, who beat incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in NY-10, and Claire Valdez, who won the primary against Antonio Reynoso in NY-7. Mamdani-backed candidate Eli Northrup also defeated Stephanie Ruskay in the Democratic primary for the State Assembly’s District 69.
“Today we make it clear. The politics of the past ends today,” Avila Chevalier told attendees at an election night watch party Tuesday evening, where the crowd erupted into cheers of “Free Palestine.” “What we have built over the last eight months, and what we have delivered here today is a clear mandate that the era of taking a check and cashing a check and calling it representation is over.”
During her remarks, Avila Chevalier reiterated her support for her “Babies not Bombs” campaign, which calls for ending U.S. military aid to Israel and redirecting funding toward domestic social programs, and took aim at AIPAC, telling attendees, “Those of you in this room know just how scared, how scared we made AIPAC, crypto, and all of the corporate PACs.”
Avila Chevalier was joined at the podium by Mamdani, who said during his remarks that “we are showing there is a new path for politics in our city and in our country.”
While the NY-13 race largely centered on local issues including housing and immigration, it also emerged as a flashpoint in broader Democratic divisions over Israel and Gaza, drawing heavy outside spending from pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups and competing endorsements from New York leaders, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has backed Avila Chevalier.
Avila Chevalier appeared at a rally last week with Mamdani and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders as well as progressive congressional candidates Brad Lander and Claire Valdez. While Sanders previously backed Avila Chevalier, he did not include her in a post on X Tuesday throwing his support behind Lander and Valdez, or another post celebrating their victories.
In a televised debate last week, the candidates clashed over Israel as Espaillat criticized Avila Chevalier for “celebrating the death of innocent people” at an Oct. 8, 2023, pro-Palestinian rally in Times Square, where she joined protesters who carried signs reading “Resistance is Justified when People are Occupied.”
Avila Chevalier shot back that she was “shocked by the dehumanizing language that was just used” and saying that she had come to the protest because she “knew the reaction would be an outsized reaction that would cause the deaths of thousands upon thousands of people.”
The exchange was the latest chapter in a campaign that had drawn scrutiny over Avila Chevalier’s past statements on Israel and Gaza, including her appearance at the Oct. 8 rally, which was condemned at the time by Mamdani and fellow congressional candidate Brad Lander. She also faced backlash over her past criticism of former President Joe Biden’s policy toward Israel and Gaza in a since-deleted X account.
Before graduating from Columbia University in 2016, Avila Chevalier was part of the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine group and later helped organize Columbia’s pro-Palestinian encampment as an alumna in 2024. One the campaign trail, she criticized Espaillat for his response to the detainment of Columbia University encampment leader Mahmoud Khalil, whose arrest last year became a rallying point for pro-Palestinian activists.
On her campaign website, Avila Chevalier vowed to sign onto the Block the Bombs Act, which prohibits the sale of certain U.S.-made offensive weapons to Israel.
“From NY-13 to Palestine we should be investing in the lives of our babies and not in the bombs that destroy them,” Avila Chevalier wrote in a post on Bluesky, expressing her support for the Not On Our Dime Act, a bill aimed at blocking nonprofits from funding Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Espaillat, who was elected to Congress in 2016, did not sponsored the Block the Bombs Act and voted in 2024 to send additional military aid to Israel amid the war in Gaza. While he supports a two-state solution, Espaillat generally aligned himself with mainstream Democratic positions on Israel.
In 2024, Espaillat’s Manhattan district office, which is in a heavily Jewish neighborhood, was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti multiple times as it displayed fliers of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Public polling ahead of Tuesday suggested a competitive race. A survey conducted by Mercury Public Affairs from June 9 to 11 and sponsored by the National Black Empowerment Action Fund found Espaillat leading Avila Chevalier by eight percentage points among likely voters. The poll found 35% of respondents supporting Espaillat and 27% supporting Avila Chevalier, while 38% said they were undecided.
The candidates relied on different fundraising networks. According to the most recent federal campaign finance filings, Espaillat raised more than $2 million this cycle, drawing support from labor unions including the American Federation of Teachers, Democratic political action committees and industry PACs ranging from sugar production to transportation.
Avila Chevalier, in contrast, raised just under $1 million, relying heavily on individual donors and support from progressive groups including the Justice Democrats PAC and New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America PAC. The pro-Palestinian American Priorities PAC also paid roughly $500,000 in ads boosting Chevalier or attacking Espaillat.
Avila Chevalier took aim at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s spending on Espaillat’s campaign, which received $5,000 from AIPAC itself as well as more than $140,000 in donations earmarked by the pro-Israel lobby, according to federal filings.
Last week, AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project, disclosed that it had spent $650,000 last month on BOLD America, a super PAC that has spent over $2.8 million in ads opposing Avila Chevalier and supporting Espaillat.
Espaillat defended the AIPAC spending on his campaign, telling Jewish Currents that while he is a “strong supporter of the existence of Israel as a sovereign and democratic state in the region,” he is “not influenced by anybody that contributes to my campaign.”
The endorsements for the candidates have also mirrored some of the ideological divides that have emerged within the Democratic party over Israel.
While Espaillat touts endorsements from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, NYC Comptroller Mark Levine and NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin, Avila Chevalier has assembled a coalition including Mamdani, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, NYC Democratic Socialists for America and Track AIPAC.
“Her campaign is powered by working people ready to reject a politics of big money and demand something better,” Mamdani wrote in a statement endorsing Avila Chevalier last month. “Let’s go win this.”
The winner of Tuesday’s primary will advance to the general election in November, where Republican candidate Manual Williams and Working Families Party candidate Bob Cohen are expected to be on the ballot.
Jewish stories matter, and so does your support. The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
