An ultra-progressive candidate pulled off a shock victory in the Democratic primary for New York\u2019s 13th District \u2014 and people there say it was down to one thing: Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s blessing.<\/p>\n
Democratic Socialists of America member Darializa Avila Chevalier\u2019s victory is proof a tiny minority of ultra-progressive primary voters can shake up an entire district, leaving many residents feeling left behind.<\/p>\n
Chevalier, a 32-year-old doctoral student,\u00a0beat nine-year incumbent<\/a>\u00a0and longtime politician Adriano Espaillat, with the votes of only 7% of active Democratic voters in the district, after Mamdani switched his backing from Espaillat to her. \u00a0<\/p>\n Darializa Avila Chevalier won the Democratic primary in New York\u2019s 13th district on Tuesday. AP Photo\/Seth Wenig<\/p>\n Until then the incumbent, a moderate Democrat and former undocumented immigrant popular with the majority black and Hispanic population of NY-13, was seen as a dead cert to win.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just very little known about her,\u201d Nancy, a professional investor and Washington Heights native, said. \u201cShe didn\u2019t have much of a track record or any real roots in the neighborhood, so who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n Nancy, who didn\u2019t want her last name used, said she thought Mamdani\u2019s endorsement is behind the surprise result \u2014 and his blessing inspired gentrifiers to show up to the polls en masse, displacing old-timers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of new people who\u2019ve moved in, and the populations that [Espaillat] served and he mostly speaks to, don\u2019t necessarily make it to the polls, so it\u2019s like a disproportionate representation really,\u201d she claimed.<\/p>\n Nancy, a Washington Heights resident, says Chevalier is relatively unknown to the district still. Rikki Schlott\/NY Post<\/p>\n Early analyses show<\/a>\u00a0 young, college-educated, high-income black and white voters pushed Chevalier, who has never held office before, over the edge \u2014 leaving many in the district baffled, especially by her ultra-progressive policies.<\/p>\n Yvette Thomas, a 69-year-old born and raised in Harlem who voted for Espaillat, was shocked. Chevalier dominated with white voters, gaining 61% compared to Espaillat\u2019s 39%.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did a lot for seniors. He did a lot for the community\u2026. He has been in the seat for a long time, and there\u2019s something about wisdom. There\u2019s something about experience, for me,\u201d Thomas said<\/p>\n Yvette Thomas of Harlem voted for Espaillat because he did well by seniors. stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n Chevalier, daughter of Dominican immigrants, grew up in Miami and came to the city 14 years ago to attend Columbia University.<\/p>\n Described in her Justice Democrats online profile<\/a> as an \u201ca working-class Afro-Latina organizer,\u201d her policies appear more a product of her Ivy League education than immersion in the daily life of NY-13.<\/p>\n She opposes all forms of deportation, detention, and imprisonment, and has called for the abolishment of ICE, universal basic income, a cancellation of student loans, and Medicare for All, including gender affirming care.\u00a0<\/p>\n Adriano Espaillat, a former undocumented immigrant, has been representing NY-13 for nine years. Nancy Kaszerman\/Zuma \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n Though she\u2019s not unilaterally opposed to them, Thomas believes many of Chevalier\u2019s policies \u201cwill never happen.\u201d She explained, \u201cI think sometimes people do come into office with a lot of illusions about what they could do, but once you step into that seat, there\u2019s blockages all over.\u201d<\/p>\n She also said Chevalier\u2019s anti-American statements struck a nerve in the community. She was\u00a0forced to walk back<\/a>\u00a0nasty, since deleted, posts on X, including \u00a0\u201cF\u2014k Kamala Harris\u201d and \u201cI forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen she was first called on it, she changed her tune. For me, when someone shows you who they are, believe it the first time,\u201d Thomas added.<\/p>\n Roxann Gregg said that some of Chevalier\u2019s old social media posts were a turnoff to her. stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n Yunu\u00e9n Tinoco, a 46-year-old medical receptionist, said she felt Chevalier was \u201cnot being honest and fair to the people\u201d by backtracking on her statements. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s someone that you should vote for,\u201d she said of the political newcomer.<\/p>\n Roxanne Gregg, a Harlem resident of 15 years, felt the same. \u201cYou can take away what you said, but you don\u2019t take away the feelings behind that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The 59-year-old didn\u2019t vote this week because she didn\u2019t feel fully represented by either candidate. She was more opposed to Chevalier, saying she had been lifted up more by Mamdani than by the local community.<\/p>\n Darializa Avila Chevalier walked back comments about the American flag and Kamala Harris. AP Photo\/Seth Wenig<\/p>\n \u201cThe people Mamdani endorsed, I was not for them,\u201d she said. \u201cHis endorsement was a negative for me.\u201d<\/p>\n I asked New Yorkers in the 13th District about some of Chevalier\u2019s most controversial policies \u2014 abolishing ICE, stopping aid to Israel, Medicare for All \u2014 and found their reactions mixed.<\/p>\n