NY's 13th District: Darializa Avila Chevalier vows to show DSA can 'deliver' in Congress

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Oct 16, 2026

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NEW YORK — Presumptive Rep. Darializa Avila Chevalier has a point to prove when she gets to Washington: Progressives can “actually deliver” for their constituents.

The all-but-certain future congresswoman from upper Manhattan struck a surprisingly pragmatic tone in a new interview, throwing cold water on any effort to impeach President Donald Trump and steering clear of criticizing possible future House Speaker Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

“We’re here to prove that the left can actually deliver,” Avila Chevalier, 33, told Politico in an interview published Friday. “We are very serious about that and very serious about making sure that we’re thinking through our tactics thoughtfully.”

Avila Chevalier, 33, said she has spoken with Jeffries about her plans to focus on kitchen-table issues that will benefit people in her district spanning Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood and a slice of the west Bronx.

The daughter of Dominican immigrants insists she hasn’t focused on whether she would support his expected historic bid for the speaker’s gavel if Democrats win the House as polls overwhelmingly predict.

“We should be able to show that a Democratic majority is one that’s actually fighting for working people across this country,” Avila Chevalier said.

The Democratic Socialists of America member and first time political candidate shocked the New York political establishment by unseating Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary for the NY-13 district. She’s a prohibitive favorite to win the seat over token Republican opposition from Manual Williams.

Boosted by the endorsement of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, she was one of three progressive candidates who beat more moderate choices in the primaries along with Brad Lander and fellow DSA member Claire Valdez.

The NYC trio join a significant cohort of newly elected young insurgent candidates who toppled incumbent Democrats to win in mostly deep-blue urban districts nationwide.

The incoming leftists say they’ve been talking strategy with the previous wave of progressive lawmakers who entered Congress after the 2018 midterms, including getting “incredible advice” from fellow New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

They want congressional Democrats to use more disruptive tools to give headaches to Trump and his Republican allies, especially if they also flip the Senate.

One tactic the newbies are skeptical about is trying to impeach Trump. Avila Chevalier said she believes Trump actually wants Democrats to try to remove him from office because it could rally support of his right-wing MAGA base.

“We are going to have to think about what is actually going to hold their feet to the fire,” she said.

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