Darializa Avila Chevalier Thinks She Can Overthrow the 'Dean of Dominican Elected Officials'

A 31-year-old organizer and sociology Ph.D. student received an email from Justice Democrats asking her to run for Congress. She initially suspected it might be a prank, but she met with the group and learned she had been nominated by members of the NY-13 community to challenge long-time incumbent Congressman Adriano Espaillat. She weighed the decision for about a month and agreed by November, citing rising fascism and the need for organizers to be braver when their communities ask them to step forward. Six months later, NY-13 became a closely watched June primary race, with the district potentially ready for change after recent political outcomes in the area.

"Last fall, when Uptown organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier got an email from the Justice Democrats-the group that helped power Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Washington in 2018-saying they wanted her to run for Congress, at first she wondered if it was a prank."

"Nevertheless, she met with the political organization, who said that she'd been nominated by members of the NY-13 community who wanted her to run against the nine-year incumbent, Congressman Adriano Espaillat. Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialists of America member, took a month to mull the prospect over, but by November she was on board."

""We're in a time of rising fascism, and as an organizer, I've always believed that it's going to take every single one of us to be just a little bit braver," she said. "I knew that if my community was asking me to take this step, I couldn't ask others to be brave if I wasn't willing to do that myself. So I said yes.""

"Six months later, NY-13 is one of the closest-watched races in the June primary. While the 71-year-old Espaillat has held a firm grip on the district for almost a decade, the area could be ripe for change."

Read at Hell Gate