{"id":203315,"date":"2026-04-20T13:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/203315\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T13:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:53:09","slug":"challengers-poll-shows-soft-support-for-espaillat-in-ny-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/203315\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenger\u2019s Poll Shows Soft Support for Espaillat in NY-13"},"content":{"rendered":"

Only 42% of likely Democratic primary voters in the House district spanning Upper Manhattan and parts of The Bronx would vote for longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat<\/a> in the primary election<\/a> according to an internal poll from challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier.<\/p>\n

Based on name recognition alone, voters picked Espaillat over Avila Chevalier 42% to 28%, according to results shared with THE CITY.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, once respondents heard positive messaging about Avila Chevalier\u2019s platform, the challenger\u2019s campaign said, she leapfrogged the five-term incumbent 46% to 35%. Another Democratic candidate in the 13th Congressional District primary, Oscar Romero, comes in a distant third at 4%.<\/p>\n

Pollster Upswing Research & Strategy quizzed 598 likely Democratic voters in the district from March 25 to March 30 via phone and text message. The poll has a 4% margin of error. Most polling experts<\/a> caution against taking campaign-backed polls at face value, but as the first poll of NY-13 this cycle, it offers a useful snapshot of where voters stand two months ahead of the June 23 primary<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese poll results show what we have long been feeling on the ground uptown and in the Bronx: that New Yorkers are hungry for change, and they know Darializa Avila Chevalier will deliver that change on June 23rd,\u201d campaign manager Ilona Duverge said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Espaillat\u2019s re-election campaign did not respond to THE CITY\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n

The poll results come on the heels of a strong week for Avila Chevalier. Her campaign outraised Espaillat in the first quarter of the year, bringing in $270,000 to his $230,000, according to campaign finance reports submitted to the Federal Elections Commission on April 15.<\/p>\n

Espaillat is the only incumbent House member in the city to be out-raised by his opponent, Politico reported, though he has substantially more cash on hand than Avila Chevalier: $1 million to her $220,000.<\/p>\n

Capitalizing on Mamdani\u2019s Win<\/p>\n

\"DarializaDarializa Avila Chevalier announced the endorsement of the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in her campaign to unseat Congressional Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), in in Mornginside Park, Jan. 27, 2026. Credit: Claudia Irizarry Aponte\/THE CITY<\/p>\n

On Friday, the New York chapter of the United Auto Workers announced its endorsement of Avila Chevalier. She is a member of the union\u2019s legal services local through her job at Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem. She is on leave from that job, and from studying for a PhD at the CUNY Graduate Center, to focus on the campaign.<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old launched her run against Espaillat in November, seeking to capitalize on Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s victory<\/a> and the left\u2019s growing clout in the district.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her campaign is backed by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America<\/a> and Justice Democrats<\/a>, the group that propelled U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> (D-Queens\/The Bronx) to victory in 2018, as well as several members of her left-leaning \u201csquad\u201d including former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who endorsed Avila Chevalier.<\/p>\n

Espaillat is considered the dean of Dominican elected officials<\/a> in New York, widening the community\u2019s power among Democrats in Manhattan and The Bronx, with NY-13 as its epicenter. Dominicans make up nearly half of all immigrants<\/a> residing in the district. (Avila Chevalier was born in the U.S. to parents from the Dominican Republic.)<\/p>\n

A Washington Heights Veteran<\/p>\n

\"CongressionalRep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) leads a press conference at the Second Avenue Subway information center against the Trump administration\u2019s threats to cut funds for the project, Oct. 2, 2025. Credit: Alex Krales\/THE CITY<\/p>\n

The 71-year-old incumbent has represented Washington Heights and Inwood for decades, first as a state senator and in Washington since 2016, as the chamber\u2019s first Dominican-American \u2014 and first formerly undocumented immigrant \u2014 member.<\/p>\n

Espaillat appears to have taken the threat from his left seriously: Earlier this year, Espaillat for the first time appeared at an endorsement forum hosted by Uptown Community Democrats<\/a>, a political club aligned with his longtime rival, state Sen. Robert Jackson. Last week, he announced his campaign had collected a hefty 20,000 petition signatures.<\/p>\n

Progressives have long sensed an opening in Upper Manhattan. The last time Espaillat faced a spirited primary, in 2020, he was re-elected with less than 60% of the vote, and growing pockets of the district have been trending towards the left. Mamdani won the district in the 2025 Democratic primary by double digit margins, even though Espaillat had backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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