Darlisa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, two democratic socialist candidates backed by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, won their Democratic primaries for New York congressional seats on Tuesday. Their victories are being seen as a major show of strength for Mamdani, who is trying to reshape the Democratic Party, and they came alongside a third Mamdani-backed winner, Brad Lander, who also prevailed over a candidate viewed as much more pro-Israel.
Chevalier’s win is especially controversial because of her harsh anti-Israel record. She has spoken out against Israel repeatedly, took part in the pro-Palestinian encampment protest at Columbia University, opposed sending weapons to Israel, and shared past posts attacking Israeli government policy and IDF actions in Gaza. She also joined a so-called victory march that featured speeches praising Hamas a day after the October 7, 2023 massacre.
During the campaign, Chevalier had to apologize for deleted posts that also attacked senior Democrats. Among the statements attributed to her were, “Israel does not exist,” calls of President Joe Biden a “rapist,” and insults directed at Vice President Kamala Harris. She also supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and says she does not believe in deportations.
Chevalier defeated veteran Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 71, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Espaillat, the first formerly undocumented person ever elected to Congress, had become a target for the progressive wing because of his ties to pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC. Valdez won New York’s 7th District, covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens, taking the seat left open by Nydia Velazquez’s retirement. Valdez, who has labor-organizing experience at Columbia University and in the auto workers union, was supported by Bernie Sanders, Mamdani, and the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Because both districts are heavily Democratic, the primary winners are very likely to reach Congress in November.
