In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.On the heels of triumphs in New York City last month — in which all three of his endorsed candidates won congressional Democratic primaries, two against solidly progressive incumbents — Mayor Zohran Mamdani was ebullient. He said he realizes that Republicans “are going to try and make [his left-wing triumvirate] the face of the Democratic Party” — and welcomes that development. “To them I say, we are ready for that,” he added.
What does that new “face” of the party look like? It looks like Darializa Avila Chevalier, a communist who has spent nearly the past decade and a half as a professional student. Is calling her a communist a smear? When asked on MS Now to dispel that claim, Chevalier demurred. She did not deny her communism. She instead uncorked a buzzword salad, concluding with, “For far too long, this reactive conversation of what we should be afraid of has prevented us from being able to have a politics … Democrats can actually identify with.”Why would she disclaim or disavow communism? After all, this is a woman who tweeted a call to “seize the means of production,” demanded the nationalization of utilities, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies, and has insisted upon the abolishment of private health insurance. From left: Democratic congressional candidate Claire Valdez, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier. (Washington Examiner illustration; AP photos)
