NEW YORK — Darializa Avila Chevalier is running for U.S. Congress in New York's 13th congressional district, challenging incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed Avila Chevalier in the primary.

Avila Chevalier has received endorsements from New York City Democratic Socialists, Justice Democrats, and UAW Region 9A. She is a union member of United Auto Workers Local 2325 at the City University of New York. Avila Chevalier appeared in a political advertisement with Mamdani, Claire Valdez, and Brad Lander that first aired during postgame coverage of Game 1 of the New York Knicks' NBA finals championship run.

Espaillat, elected in 2017, is a five-term Democrat who represents the district encompassing much of upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. He chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and was the first Dominican American and first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress. Espaillat endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary but later endorsed Mamdani in the general election for New York City mayor. Espaillat's office did not respond to requests for comment regarding the current primary race. Espaillat stated, "Getting results in Congress is not a PhD program."

Avila Chevalier is 32 years old, is completing a PhD at CUNY, and has lived in New York for approximately 14 years. She is a public defense investigator and served as the organizing lead for Mamdani's mayoral campaign in her district region. She organized to end sexual violence on campus while a student at Columbia University and worked with the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and the Black Student Organization there. Avila Chevalier also organized around issues including ending mass incarceration and immigration justice.

The candidate's platform includes universal healthcare, campaign finance reform, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She also supports greater protection for renters, banning big-money Super PACs from election campaigns, and prohibiting members of Congress from trading stocks. Avila Chevalier argued Espaillat had failed to produce results since taking office. "You just have to look around our district and ask: have things gotten any better in the nine years that he's been in office?" Avila Chevalier said. "I would argue the answer is no, because we've seen an exodus of over 200,000 Black New Yorkers leave the city in the last two decades."

A March internal poll from Avila Chevalier's campaign found Espaillat leading among voters 42% to 28%. An internal poll conducted in early June 2026 by Data for Progress found Avila Chevalier leading Espaillat 39% to 35%. Avila Chevalier claimed Espaillat "comes with a price tag" as an establishment politician beholden to wealthy donors, identifying the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) as one such donor. "He has been in office in some capacity for 30 years, and it's time for a change," she said. "It's time for a politics that actually puts the working people of our communities first and is responsive to them and includes them in that process." Avila Chevalier was targeted by the website Canary Mission for her pro-Palestine activism while a student at Columbia University. The Department of Homeland Security used Canary Mission in 2025 to target Palestinian activists for deportation. Approximately 35% of children in New York's 13th congressional district live in poverty. A tracker by Robin Hood and Columbia University indicated the poverty level for New York City residents was 26% in 2024.