Newly minted socialist congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier abruptly walked out of a radio interview Tuesday after being pressed about controversial social media posts that, at times, overshadowed her campaign against New York Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
Just hours after dramatically ending the live interview with Spanish-language station La Mega, Avila Chevalier won her race to unseat Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District, a heavily blue-leaning seat covering parts of Manhattan and the Bronx. Her victory is a major upset that ousted a five-term incumbent and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Avila Chevalier, backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), didn’t want to face questioned on primary Election Day about her about past comments and now-deleted social media posts.
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The candidate, who now goes onto the general election in November where she will almost assuredly win a seat in Congress, has faced growing scrutiny in recent weeks over archived posts. She criticized Democratic leaders, called for abolishing police and prisons, opposed deportations and made inflammatory remarks about U.S. institutions and foreign policy.
She also helped lead protests against the Israel-Hamas war at Columbia University and was part of a campus group that later called for “Death to America.”
Another source of backlash has been Avila Chevalier’s past remarks about Dominican nationalism, including posts in which she said she did not display the Dominican flag on her social media profile because she viewed nationalism as “violent.”
The remarks have drawn backlash in the heavily Dominican-American district she wants to represent and where some voters have questioned her views on Dominican identity and culture.
But when multiple radio hosts attempted to let her speak on the issue before polls closed in New York, the candidate shut down the conversation.
One host asked Avila Chevalier to take the opportunity on the show to “address the Dominican community that may feel bad for the things she has said in the past.”
She responded by saying she felt bad about her past tweets in general but that it was time to unite and “fight for the things that are necessary for the community.”
When another host asked her to specifically address the controversy over the Dominican flag, Avila Chevalier said she wanted to discuss the “issues that are impacting the residents of New York 13,” adding that she was focused on fighting for the people who live in the district.
When a third host pressed her again, she interrupted and said, “I am not going to sit here and be yelled at by various people,” adding that she had already addressed the issue.
“Have a beautiful day,” she said before removing her headphones and abruptly leaving the radio studio.
The controversy surrounding her previous posts has emerged as one of the defining issues in the closely watched Democratic primary between Avila Chevalier and Espaillat, who has represented the district since 2017.
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Avila Chevalier has argued that the focus on old posts distracts from current policy issues and has said she has evolved since many of the comments were written, framing the criticism as part of a broader effort to undermine her campaign.
During recent debates, Avila Chevalier has acknowledged and apologized for some of her past rhetoric, including comments directed at former Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, she has continued to defend some of her previous positions, including her opposition to deportations. In a recent interview, Avila Chevalier said she still believes “all deportations are wrong,” a stance that has drawn criticism from opponents and become a recurring topic on the campaign trail as voters weigh competing visions for immigration policy.
The controversy over Avila Chevalier’s past social media activity has become a recurring flashpoint in the race, testing whether voters in the heavily Democratic district are willing to look past her past rhetoric as she seeks to build support among a diverse electorate.
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