New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist congressional candidate and former organizer of Columbia University’s anti-Israel protest movement.
Avila Chevalier is challenging longtime incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District. Before launching her campaign, she was involved in organizing anti-Israel activism connected to Columbia University and has become one of the most outspoken critics of U.S. support for Israel in the race.
Mamdani announced his endorsement this week, praising Avila Chevalier as a grassroots candidate focused on affordability and economic issues.
Avila Chevalier has repeatedly called for ending U.S. military aid to Israel, has supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and has accused Israel of committing grave human rights abuses. Throughout her campaign, opposition to Israel has remained a central theme of her political platform.
The endorsement also reinforces Mamdani’s alignment with candidates who oppose military assistance to Israel. Every congressional candidate endorsed by the mayor so far has advocated ending or significantly restricting U.S. military support for the Jewish state.
Avila Chevalier has drawn additional scrutiny for a series of controversial social media posts and far-left policy positions, including support for abolishing ICE, ending prison incarceration, and legalizing the private use of all drugs. Critics argue those positions place her well outside the political mainstream.
Supporters, meanwhile, view her as part of a new generation of progressive activists seeking to reshape Democratic Party priorities, particularly on foreign policy and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Following the endorsement, Avila Chevalier thanked Mamdani and said she looked forward to advancing a vision that would “invest in our communities, not in bombs abroad.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
