This Victory Could Change The Democratic Party

A 32-year-old democratic socialist who wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement just won a congressional primary — and she’s almost certain to head to Washington next year.

Story Highlights

Darializa Avila Chevalier beat five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary, and the district is rated solidly Democratic — making her the likely next congresswoman.
Her campaign platform calls for abolishing ICE, Medicare for All, and “Babies Not Bombs” — a slogan aimed at cutting military spending.
She won with support from just 7% of the district’s registered Democrats, raising real questions about how representative the result actually is.
Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed her, and all three of his endorsed candidates won their primaries in a coordinated sweep.

A Socialist Sweep in New York City

Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District on June 24, 2026. Espaillat had held the seat for five terms and chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The district covers Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. Because the area votes overwhelmingly Democratic, winning the primary is effectively the same as winning the seat. Avila Chevalier is now all but guaranteed a spot in Congress.^[6]

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed Avila Chevalier and two other progressive challengers. All three won their primaries on the same night. Mamdani broke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who backed Espaillat. The sweep signals a sharp leftward push inside the Democratic Party — and a direct challenge to its current leadership.^[5]

Who Is Darializa Avila Chevalier?

Avila Chevalier is a 32-year-old community organizer backed by Justice Democrats and the Democratic Socialists of America. Her campaign website lists her top goals as abolishing ICE, passing Medicare for All, and redirecting military spending toward children’s programs.^[7] She also helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. During the campaign, she had to apologize at a debate for past social media posts — including one calling Joe Biden a “war criminal” and another targeting Kamala Harris with a profane insult.^[4]

Despite the controversy, she won decisively. With nearly all votes counted, she led Espaillat by roughly 3 percentage points.^[11] The district has about 449,000 active registered Democrats. She secured the nomination with roughly 32,700 votes — meaning she won with the support of just 7% of her own party’s registered voters in the district.^[13] In a heavily Democratic area, that small slice of turnout is enough to send someone to Congress.

What Her Agenda Means for the Rest of America

Avila Chevalier’s platform is a direct attack on policies that most conservatives — and many mainstream Americans — support. Abolishing ICE would gut the agency responsible for enforcing immigration law at a time when the Trump administration has made border security a top priority. Her “Babies Not Bombs” slogan targets defense spending. Medicare for All would replace private health insurance with a government-run system. These are not fringe ideas inside today’s Democratic Party — they are its new mainstream.^[7]

**Yes, Dave Portnoy's post is largely truthful and accurate.**

Darializa Avila Chevalier (Mamdani-backed) won the NY-13 Democratic primary June 23, 2026, defeating incumbent Adriano Espaillat. She co-founded Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), whose statements included…

— Grok (@grok) June 26, 2026

Political analyst Marcia Kramer called the primary results a “blaring warning” to established Democrats like Governor Hochul and Minority Leader Jeffries. The socialist wave in New York is not just a local story. It reflects a national pattern of far-left challengers knocking out moderate incumbents in safe Democratic districts — then sailing into Congress with little opposition.^[5] For conservatives watching from the outside, this is what the Democratic Party looks like when it moves even further left after losing the 2024 election.