Espaillat ousted in New York House primary by Mamdani-backed candidate

Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier has defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D) in the Democratic primary for his House seat, Decision Desk HQ projects, notching a win for New York City’s socialist movement.

TThe race for the 13th Congressional District was one of several tests of influence Tuesday for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a fellow Democratic socialist who endorsed Chevalier against the five-term incumbent.

Mamdani’s campaign trail appearances with Avila Chevalier injected her bid with significant momentum, on the heels of his history-making mayoral win last year. On Tuesday, that support appeared to help Avila Chevalier push past Espaillat in the district that makes up parts of Harlem, Washington Heights and The Bronx.

The primary results end the House tenure of Espaillat, who was elected in 2016 and is the first member of Congress to have previously been an undocumented immigrant. He’s currently the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Avila Chevalier is all but assured to win the seat that’s considered solidly Democratic this November.

Tags

Adriano Espaillat

Zohran Mamdani

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.