East Harlem community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier is campaigning for Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s seat in New York’s 13th Congressional district. But in a current field of no fewer than seven candidates challenging the incumbent, only time will tell if she will be able to defeat him.
“I, like so many people in the district, have felt abandoned by the political establishment here,” said Chevalier. “Seeing how our politicians haven’t stood up for us the way that we deserve. It’s been really infuriating. I think people are hungry for something different, and yeah, I’m excited to help deliver that.”
Chevalier, 32, grew up in Florida, but her family has always called the district home. Both of her parents are Dominican. In addition to being a community organizer since she was a teenager, she spent months canvassing for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani this year. “I’ve been a long time organizer specifically here in this district, and I’ve been organizing around issues of policing, immigration justice, and Palestine,” said Chevalier.
A relative unknown among local political clubs, Chevalier has been endorsed by Jewish Voice for Peace Action and the Justice Democrats — a national Democratic organization backing candidates in multiple congressional races in places like Tennessee and Missouri. The Justice Dems also supported Mamdani and former Congressmember Jamaal Bowman. Bowman, in turn, officially endorsed Chevalier last week. However, Mamdani hasn’t made any endorsement and declined to directly comment on the race.
“We need champions in Congress fighting for us, not for the wealthy and well-connected,” said Bowman in a statement. “New Yorkers uptown and in the Bronx deserve a Representative who will do what’s right, not just what’s popular; a Congressmember who will stand up against genocide, and fight for solutions to the affordability crisis working people are facing nationwide.”
Espaillat, 71, previously undocumented, is the first Dominican-American to serve in Congress. He was first elected in 2016. His district encompasses East Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill, and parts of Harlem and the north-west Bronx. With the 2026 congressional primaries several months away, many candidates are looking to challenge entrenched Democrats like him and capitalize on the “Mamdani effect.”
Chevalier is slamming Espaillat’s real estate funding and financial connections to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), much in the same way congressional candidate Michael Blake is criticizing Rep. Ritchie Torres’s adamant pro-Israel stance in the Bronx’s 15th Congressional District race. She added that since the district largely voted for Mamdani in this year’s primary and general election, that’s a good indicator that voters want a change.
But some political leaders don’t think it will be so easy to unseat Espaillat.
Raúl Reyes, president of the El Nuevo Caribe Democratic Club, said, “Take nothing for granted. Anybody has the right to throw their hat in to run. But my opinion is that he will not be beaten. His grassroots work in the community is well known.”
William Smith is a district leader for Part D in the 68th Assembly District of East Harlem/El Barrio. He said that, naturally, during an election season, challenges are expected and that a group like the Justice Dems is emboldened because of recent wins. He considers Chevalier a “positive young lady,” but thinks it would be unfortunate to lose Espaillat as the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).
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