Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist candidate, has secured victory in the contentious Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District against five-term incumbent Representative Adriano Espaillat. With 88% of votes counted, Avila Chevalier leads Espaillat by 49.4% to 45.9%.
The race has been characterized by a clear demographic divide. In Manhattan portions of the district, Avila Chevalier leads by an eight-point margin, while Espaillat maintains a significant edge in the Bronx by a margin of 28 points.
Avila Chevalier’s support base is concentrated among younger voters and college-educated residents. She has dominated these groups with margins of 24.5 percentage points among youth and 19.2 points among majority college-educated areas, reflecting broader trends seen across the district.
New York’s 13th Congressional District encompasses parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx, with a population of roughly 750,000 residents spread over an area of 11 square miles—approximately 68,000 per square mile. The district has a median age of 39 years, with 50% identifying as Hispanic, 24% Black, and 17% White.
The district also ranks among the nation’s poorest, with a quarter of its residents living below the poverty line and median household income just above $52,400.
Avila Chevalier emphasized her immigrant background and strong positions on immigration in her campaign. “I’m an immigrant myself, and she has strong positions on immigration,” said Juan Alvarez, a voter who cast his ballot for Avila Chevalier after Zohran Mamdani endorsed her.
In the recent New York City mayoral race, Mayor Zohran Mamdani performed strongly across the district and later shifted his support to Avila Chevalier in the primary contest. Avila Chevalier has declared that “the politics of the past ends today” and vowed that “the era of taking a check and cashing a check and calling it representation is over.”
The victory marks a significant shift for NY-13, which has been consistently Democratic for decades. Avila Chevalier will face Republican nominee Manual Williams in the November general election.
