Mamdani endorsed Avila Chevalier on Thursday during an appearance on MS NOW’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki,” framing her campaign as part of the broader movement behind his mayoral victory.
“I am so excited to be sitting here with Darializa. And I’m so excited to be endorsing her in her run for Congress,” Mamdani said on the program. “She is the daughter of a single mom caseworker, and she grew up with a commitment to the very people that politics have left behind.”
Avila Chevalier, 32, is a DSA-backed organizer challenging Espaillat, 71, in New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes parts of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Espaillat has represented the district since 2017 and chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
The endorsement could give Avila Chevalier a major boost in a race that has become one of several tests of the city’s left-wing insurgency following Mamdani’s rise. She served as an organizing lead for Upper Manhattan and the Bronx on Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, according to her campaign, and has worked as a public defense investigator.
She also helped organize Columbia University protests against the war in Gaza and advocated for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia organizer detained by federal immigration authorities.
On Psaki’s program, Avila Chevalier said she felt “deeply abandoned by the establishment politics” that, she believes, has failed her community.
“I’m running because I believe my community deserves the dignity of a representative who is going to fight tooth and nail for the things that they deserve,” she said.
The endorsement comes after a brief political alliance between Mamdani and Espaillat. The New York Times reported that Mamdani had committed last year to supporting Espaillat, citing three people familiar with the pledge.
The reported commitment came after Espaillat initially backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary, but endorsed Mamdani in the general election after Mamdani won the nomination.
In a statement after Mamdani’s endorsement, Espaillat emphasized his own supporters and downplayed the mayor’s influence in the race.
“I am proud to have the support of a strong coalition, including labor unions, advocacy groups, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, [House Democratic] Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries, and countless community leaders who have seen my work and accomplishments firsthand,” Espaillat said. “Mayor Mamdani is entitled to support the candidate of his choice. But one endorsement does not make a race. Voters do.”
He said he would continue “listening to voters, showing up in every corner of the district, and earning support by meeting voters where they are and fighting for the issues that matter most to them.”
Mamdani sees larger movement against establishment
Avila Chevalier launched her campaign last year with support from Justice Democrats, a national progressive group that helped power Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 upset victory. She has criticized Espaillat for accepting support from AIPAC and the real estate industry, and has sought to link foreign policy with affordability.
Mamdani has also endorsed Brad Lander in his challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman and Assembly Member Claire Valdez in the race to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez. Asked by Psaki on Thursday whether he would endorse in New York’s 12th Congressional District, where he now resides, Mamdani said Avila Chevalier would be his final congressional endorsement of the season.
“In Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and now Darializa, I see embodiments of that vision,” Mamdani said, describing the slate as part of a movement seeking to “turn the page on a politics of big money and small ideas.”
Mamdani said Avila Chevalier would be “on the front lines” of showing that Democrats need a positive vision, not just opposition to federal policy. He said the party needs “a new generation of leadership” to put working-class struggles back at its center.
The Democratic primary is June 23. Early voting begins June 13.
