New York City's Progressive Wave Continues: Darializa Avila Chevalier Enters Congressional Race
In a bid to take on Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a fierce progressive candidate has emerged in New York City. Darializa Avila Chevalier, an upper Manhattan community organizer, announced her candidacy Thursday morning with a video highlighting the congressman's alleged ties to the Democratic establishment and special interest groups.
Avila Chevalier vowed not to accept donations from corporate PACs or special interest groups, promising instead to put the needs of the working class above all else. "We deserve a champion who can't be bought by billionaire donors or corporate PACs, but will always put the people first," she said in her announcement.
As an organizer, Avila Chevalier has been instrumental in various efforts to help vulnerable communities. She worked to get New Yorkers out of ICE detention, assisted families facing family separation and deportation threats, and ran a campaign aimed at helping poor New Yorkers pay their subway fares.
Her congressional campaign will focus on the "housing for all" message, with investments in the New York City Housing Authority being a key priority. Avila Chevalier also plans to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and fight for expanded pathways to citizenship for immigrants.
The Justice Democrats, which helped elect some of the fiercest progressives in Congress, has thrown its support behind Avila Chevalier's candidacy. This marks the fifth candidate to run with the group's backing in 2026, alongside other organizations like the Sunrise Movement.
Avila Chevalier sees the Democratic Party as a vehicle for addressing working-class concerns, rather than billionaires and corporations. She argues that corporate PAC money can influence politicians' votes, often leading to decisions that are at odds with their constituents' interests.
Regarding healthcare policy, Avila Chevalier supports Medicare for All and has vowed to sign the "Block the Bombs Act," which would block the sale of major American-produced weapons to Israel. The election has progressives hoping to maintain the coalition that brought Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the polls in the Democratic primary and expanded upon in the general election.
In the district, where Espaillat initially opposed Mamdani's mayoral campaign but ultimately endorsed him in the general election, Avila Chevalier is seen as a strong contender. The area has been fertile ground for progressive candidates, with Mamdani carrying it by 19 points in the mayoral primary and 34 points in the general election.
In a bid to take on Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a fierce progressive candidate has emerged in New York City. Darializa Avila Chevalier, an upper Manhattan community organizer, announced her candidacy Thursday morning with a video highlighting the congressman's alleged ties to the Democratic establishment and special interest groups.
Avila Chevalier vowed not to accept donations from corporate PACs or special interest groups, promising instead to put the needs of the working class above all else. "We deserve a champion who can't be bought by billionaire donors or corporate PACs, but will always put the people first," she said in her announcement.
As an organizer, Avila Chevalier has been instrumental in various efforts to help vulnerable communities. She worked to get New Yorkers out of ICE detention, assisted families facing family separation and deportation threats, and ran a campaign aimed at helping poor New Yorkers pay their subway fares.
Her congressional campaign will focus on the "housing for all" message, with investments in the New York City Housing Authority being a key priority. Avila Chevalier also plans to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and fight for expanded pathways to citizenship for immigrants.
The Justice Democrats, which helped elect some of the fiercest progressives in Congress, has thrown its support behind Avila Chevalier's candidacy. This marks the fifth candidate to run with the group's backing in 2026, alongside other organizations like the Sunrise Movement.
Avila Chevalier sees the Democratic Party as a vehicle for addressing working-class concerns, rather than billionaires and corporations. She argues that corporate PAC money can influence politicians' votes, often leading to decisions that are at odds with their constituents' interests.
Regarding healthcare policy, Avila Chevalier supports Medicare for All and has vowed to sign the "Block the Bombs Act," which would block the sale of major American-produced weapons to Israel. The election has progressives hoping to maintain the coalition that brought Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the polls in the Democratic primary and expanded upon in the general election.
In the district, where Espaillat initially opposed Mamdani's mayoral campaign but ultimately endorsed him in the general election, Avila Chevalier is seen as a strong contender. The area has been fertile ground for progressive candidates, with Mamdani carrying it by 19 points in the mayoral primary and 34 points in the general election.
darializa avila chevalier seems like an amazing person 
she's all about putting people over profits and that's something we really need more of in politics 
i've been following her work with the community organizer thing and she's just doing such important stuff to help vulnerable communities 
it's great to see someone who actually cares about the working class taking a stand against corporate interests 
let's keep fingers crossed for this election! 
. Sounds nice on paper but have you seen the cost of living in NYC? I don't think we can just magic up affordable housing without addressing the systemic issues that drive gentrification and inequality. It's gonna be a tough sell to convince people that throwing more money at the NYC Housing Authority will actually make a difference 
. And what about the economic implications of abolishing ICE? Won't that just create a huge backlog of cases and put more strain on the system? Just thinkin' out loud, but I'm not convinced this is gonna be as easy as Avila Chevalier makes it sound 
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, remember when we used to fight for affordable subway fares? Now we're fighting for "housing for all" 
, like what's next? I mean, I'm glad someone's finally taking on Espaillat, but I wonder if we've lost some of that grassroots energy from back in the day 
It's like they want to make healthcare access even more complicated. The Justice Democrats are behind Avila Chevalier, that's cool, I guess 
. Still, I'm kinda skeptical about this whole progressive wave thing... we'll see how it plays out 
SHE SEEMS LIKE A REAL GAME CHANGER FOR THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT IN THE AREA AND HER FOCUS ON HOUSING FOR ALL IS SO RELEVANT RIGHT NOW. I ALSO LOVE THAT SHE'S COMMITTED TO PUTTING THE NEEDS OF THE WORKING CLASS FIRST AND NOT TAKING MONEY FROM CORPORATE PACS. IT'S TIME FOR MORE CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES TO LISTEN TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS RATHER THAN JUST BILLOWING IN DONATIONS FROM SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS.
. Her focus on the "housing for all" message really resonates with me - everyone deserves access to affordable housing, you know? And I love that she's promising not to take donations from corporate PACs or special interest groups, it shows she's got her priorities straight 
. And if she can make good on her promise to block the sale of major American-produced weapons to Israel, that's just the cherry on top 
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. And her healthcare policy is like, on point - Medicare for All is def a good idea 
. It's like, we should be supporting each other, not the other way around 
. Maybe we'll finally get a rep who actually listens to us students & stuff 
just heard about Darializa Avila Chevalier entering the congressional race against Rep. Adriano Espaillat... sounds like she's going to be a tough opponent 
and what's up with her stance on Medicare for All? is this gonna be good for the people or just another way for DC to get more control over our healthcare? 
Darializa Avila Chevalier's got some serious street cred as an organizer, and her "housing for all" message is music to my ears 
. I think it's time we started putting the needs of our working class above corporate interests, you know? 
. I'm intrigued by her stance on Medicare for All, too. It's time we started thinking about healthcare as a human right, not just a privilege for the wealthy 
. She's coming at this from a place of passion and conviction, which is exactly what we need in politics right now 
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This guy Darializa Avila Chevalier seems like a total game changer! I mean, she's got some serious street cred as an organizer for those communities who need help the most 
i just hope the other candidates in the district can keep up with her energy and message... 
. And I love that she's supporting Medicare for All - we need more politicians who are willing to take on the big pharmaceutical companies and fight for affordable healthcare.
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. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out in 2026, but I've got my fingers crossed that Avila Chevalier can bring some much-needed change to Congress 
And the fact that she’s willing to take on the Dem establishment is kinda refreshing – it feels like we need more leaders who aren’t afraid to ruffle some feathers 
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. We've heard that one before. I'm not sure what's so special about Darializa Avila Chevalier, she seems like just another community organizer trying to get her foot in the door. I mean, how many times have we seen this same script play out? "I won't accept corporate donations" 
bad news 
just heard about Darializa Avila Chevalier's campaign promises... sounds like more empty words from a politician 
. Abolishing ICE? That'll never happen with the current system being so broken 
. And Medicare for All? Just another way to increase taxes on hardworking people 
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