Mamdani backs DSA-endorsed congressional candidate over longtime incumbent Adriano Espaillat
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday threw his support behind a far-left candidate and fellow Israel basher with radical positions who’s looking to knock off five-term incumbent House Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
Hizzoner endorsed firebrand Darializa Avila Chevalier in the tightening Democratic primary that covers parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx, lauding her as a congressional hopeful who has “dedicated her life to fighting for people too often left behind by government.”
“She’s helped free neighbors wrongfully detained by ICE and has long believed in a politics rooted in affordability, dignity, and community,” Mamdani said in a statement about the Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate.
Darializa Avila Chevalier is detained by police after blocking a street in New York during a protest on April 13, 2026. X / @DarializaforNY
“Her campaign is powered by working people ready to reject a politics of big money and demand something better. Let’s go win this.”
The mayor’s nod toward Chevalier, a 32-year-old former worker on his mayoral campaign, was first unveiled on MS NOW with the pair sitting side by side.
Mamdani has backed other congressional candidates ahead of the June primary, including former city Comptroller Brad Lander over House Rep. Dan Goldman and state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
“Last year, @ZohranMamdani showed the entire country that people power can beat a machine,” Chevalier tweeted. “I’m thrilled to have his support!”
Espaillat, 71, who was first sworn into office in 2017, brushed off Mamdani’s endorsement and boasted about the top elected officials supporting him like Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Attorney General Letitia James and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn.)
Rep. Adriano Espaillat attempts to enter Delaney Hall during an anti-ICE protest in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. REUTERS
Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference after being endorsed by Rep. Adriano Espaillat during the NYC Mayoral race on July 10, 2025. Matthew McDermott
“Mayor Mamdani is entitled to support the candidate of his choice,” he said in a statement. “But one endorsement does not make a race. Voters do.”
Chevalier, an ardent critic of Israel, has a host of far-left positions, including committing to abolishing prisons, and legalizing prostitution and the private use of all drugs, according to her DSA candidate questionnaire.
Darializa Avila Chevalier holds up a newspaper article celebrating her endorsement her primary race for Congress. X / @DarializaforNY
She also wants to abolish ICE and stop sending military support to Israel.
She also has a controversial social media history.
“I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me,” she posted online in 2019 along with a smiling face emoji in a now-deleted tweet.
The Post has sought comment from the campaign.
She slammed men of color for engaging in interracial relationships with white women and once talked about slamming the door on an “old white lady” in 2019 posts.
District 13 where the incumbent and challenger is vying to represent encompasses Harlem, Washington Heights and parts of the Bronx.
