NYC mayor backs socialist challenger in 13th primary

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed democratic socialist challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier in the Democratic primary against incumbent U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat. The announcement, made Thursday, marks a significant political break and intensifies a primary contest in New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes parts of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

Mamdani framed his support for Avila Chevalier as part of the broader political movement behind his own mayoral victory. He described the 32-year-old organizer as someone dedicated to fighting for people he said have been left behind by politics. Avila Chevalier served as an organizing lead for Upper Manhattan and the Bronx on Mamdani’s mayoral campaign and has worked as a public defense investigator. She launched her congressional campaign last year with support from Justice Democrats, a national progressive group, and is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

The endorsement represents a reversal from a reported political understanding between the mayor and the congressman. According to previous reports, Mamdani had committed to supporting Espaillat after the incumbent endorsed him in the...