New York City is the center of Democratic establishment power. The leaders of both the House and Senate Democrats are from there, oodles of party money are raised there and many of the consultants, public relations flacks and pollsters who work for top candidates live there.
This cycle, though, it’s also going to be the center of a Democratic insurgency. Following the triumph of progressive Assembly member Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race, a slew of incumbent House Democrats representing the city are set to face stiff primary challenges from the left.
The latest longtime incumbent to get a challenge is Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the 71-year-old chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. On Wednesday, 31-year-old investigator and activist Darializa Avila Chevalier announced she would challenge Espialliat in the Democratic Primary with the backing of Justice Democrats.
In an interview, Avila Chevalier said the left had little choice but to do everything it could to capitalize on Mamdani’s victory.
“In organizing, we have a saying that the best way to prove to people that we can win is to win,” she told HuffPost. “Zohran winning is that first step. To not build on that, it would be deeply irresponsible for us to not continue with that momentum.”
