NEW YORK, June 26 — The figure that matters in this week’s New York City Democratic primaries is 32. That is the age of Darializa Avila Chevalier, a doctoral student with no prior elected experience who just unseated a five-term incumbent. The bottom line: the Democratic Socialists of America, backed by New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani and far-left organizations, scored multiple major victories — and the 2026 midterms are now the next target.
Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District, which covers parts of Manhattan and the Bronx. Espaillat was not just any incumbent; he chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Chevalier, a Columbia University doctoral student and DSA member, was recruited by Justice Democrats — the same group that propelled Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress. Investors will note that Chevalier is widely viewed as ideologically even further left than Ocasio-Cortez. By the numbers, this was a striking upset.
But the policy positions behind it matter more for what comes next. Chevalier co-founded Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group whose stated goals include undermining Western civilization.
The group endorses “liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance” and has expressed support for Hamas. She participated in pro-Palestinian rallies immediately after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks and helped lead the chaotic anti-Israel encampments at Columbia University. Chevalier champions core DSA priorities: abolishing ICE, defunding the police, and Medicare for All.
She has posted disparaging comments about the American flag. She was not the only winner. State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez won the open seat in New York’s 7th Congressional District, left by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez.
Both Valdez and Chevalier were backed by Mamdani and the DSA. A third Mamdani- and DSA-backed candidate also scored a victory, though details on that race are limited to the source material.
These wins signal a growing socialist influence in U.S. politics. They also set the stage for a major push heading into the 2026 midterms and beyond. The DSA now has a proven playbook in New York: recruit candidates with no prior elected experience, back them with far-left organizational muscle and a socialist mayor’s endorsement, and target entrenched incumbents.
The figure that will worry centrist Democrats and Republicans alike is the speed of this shift. A five-term committee chairman was replaced by a candidate whose group endorses armed resistance.
The DSA’s agenda — abolishing ICE, defunding police, Medicare for All — is now closer to becoming legislative reality in these districts. What to watch next: whether the DSA and Justice Democrats replicate this model in other states ahead of the midterms. If they can take down a Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman in New York, other incumbents should be on notice.
The 2026 elections are not just about control of Congress; they are increasingly about whether the Democratic Party’s leftward lurch accelerates or meets resistance.
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