Darializa Avila Chevalier pulled off perhaps the most stunning victory of primary night in New York City, as the democratic socialist community organizer defeated five-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat for the Democratic nomination to represent the 13th District covering upper Manhattan and part of the Bronx.

Moments after outlets called the race for Chevalier, attendees at the campaign party for the candidate backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) erupted in cheers.

Those cheers grew louder when Espaillat, who has served five terms and had chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, abruptly conceded the race at 10:34 p.m. on June 23. They shouted, “Espaillat afuero,” or “Espaillat out.” 

In all likelihood, Avila Chevalier will officially win the 13th District seat in the November general election because of its long-standing Democratic voter base. She would be the first woman ever to represent the district.

“I am so thrilled to have the support of my community, and I am so proud that they have put their trust in me to send me to Congress on their behalf,” Avila Chevalier said in a Tuesday press release. “For too long, uptown and the Bronx have been overlooked, let down, and neglected. That ends today. 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.”

Avila Chevalier’s win as a first-time candidate was part of a huge night for DSA candidates across the city. She was one of two DSA candidates whom Mamdani endorsed and actively campaigned for to win nominations to House seats in NYC this election cycle. Queens Assembly Member Claire Valdez, a DSA member, won the nomination for the 7th District seat held by the retiring Nydia Velázquez. Former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has aligned himself with the DSA and was endorsed by the mayor, won the 10th District race over incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, and 

The race between Avila Chevalier and Espaillat was heated over the last several weeks. Espaillat had criticized Chevalier for past social media posts critical of Vice President Kamala Harris and more acerbic tweets in which she implied that members of the U.S. military had been guilty of war crimes. Avila Chevalier, meanwhile, hammered Espaillat for his handling of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil’s ICE detainment in 2025, and for accepting donations from AIPAC.

The tense race between Avila Chevalier and Espaillat led to an influx of hateful comments against her, including claims from opponents that she was ashamed of her Dominican heritage, with some calling her a “Haitian” in a derogatory manner.

Avila Chevalier shared a statement on Instagram Tuesday afternoon, addressing the comments in both Spanish and English.

“It pains me that people think I’m not proud to be Dominican, because I am,” she said. “I love my people, and I always have.”

Attendees at Avila Chevalier’s campaign party Tuesday night said any hateful tactics against her had failed.

“They tried to come with their hate, their racism, and their bigotry,” one attendee stated to the crowd. “But Darializa is all about human rights.”