The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America announced Tuesday its endorsement of Darializa Avila Chevalier, a community organizer from Harlem who is looking to unseat Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-The Bronx) in New York\u2019s 13th Congressional district.<\/p>\n
The endorsement is a boost for the 32-year-old Avila Chevalier, a political newcomer<\/a> who last year launched her campaign against the five-term incumbent and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Rep. Espaillat is considered the dean of Dominican elected officials in the Upper Manhattan and Bronx communities he\u2019s represented in Washington and in the state legislature for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n Flanked by DSA leaders and about two dozen supporters at the announcement in Morningside Park, Avila Chevalier invoked the memory of her late maternal grandfather, who was a member of the resistance movement against Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo and his successor Joaqu\u00edn Balaguer.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI recently asked my grandmother to tell me a little bit about him, and she said, \u2018They used to call him a communist, but the reality is that that man could not tolerate seeing people suffer,\u2019\u201d Avila Chevalier said. \u201cI joined DSA because like my grandfather, I cannot tolerate seeing people suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n The endorsement is a major test for DSA, which last year helped propel Mayor Zohran Mamdani to victory on the strength of its 13,500-member army of volunteers. The group is attempting to seize on its success by endorsing two Congressional candidates and seven candidates in the state legislature \u2014 prompting weeks of fierce internal debates over the group\u2019s capacity and resources.<\/p>\n