New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is publicly standing by Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist running in New York’s 13th Congressional District, despite resurfaced deleted posts that attacked the United States, praised controversial positions, and pushed sweeping socialist policies; the mayor says she has “evolved.” This article lays out the facts of the endorsement, the posts that resurfaced, her policy record, the local political dynamics, and why the mayor’s defense matters for the June 23 primary.
Mamdani’s endorsement of Darializa Avila Chevalier drew attention because the candidate’s deleted social media posts were unearthed after he announced his support. Those posts reportedly included calling the United States “a f***ing disgrace,” accusing veterans of committing “war crimes,” and demanding the abolition of borders, police, and prisons. The material also allegedly included attacks on national leaders and fringe conspiracy claims, which together shaped the backlash.
Avila Chevalier is 32 and challenging five-term Representative Adriano Espaillat in NY-13, a district that covers Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. Espaillat, 71, has represented the area since 2017 and has established ties and endorsements that made him the incumbent favorite. Mamdani’s move to back a DSA insurgent over a sitting Democrat flipped expectations and intensified scrutiny from voters and local observers.
The resurfaced posts reportedly called President Joe Biden a “rapist” and “war criminal,” included a blunt “F**k Kamala Harris,” blamed the United States for provoking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and shared an anti-Israel post that included the phrase “Israel suddenly disappears, your third emoji is your reaction” with the reply “Trick question — Israel doesn’t exist!” Campaign communications and the candidate’s online footprint have since been altered, which only deepened suspicion about what she once posted.
During the pandemic, she reportedly demanded a $3,000 monthly universal basic income and pushed for nationalizing utilities, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals while seizing private property from landlords. Her campaign website previously stated she would “vote against sending weapons or bombs to any country,” a position that critics say would limit U.S. support for NATO allies and Ukraine. Those pledges have been edited, and campaign aides say the language was clarified, but the initial promises remain part of the record.
Mamdani defended his endorsement by saying he had not seen the tweets and that her views had changed. “When it comes to Darializa’s campaign for Congress, no, I had not seen those tweets,” he told reporters Wednesday, declining to dispute their authenticity. “What I’ve heard from her, and what I know a lot of others in the district have heard from her, is that her views have evolved, and that the campaign that she’s running on is reflective of what she’s going to be fighting for.”
He also praised her for work freeing people detained by ICE and described her as “an incredible champion for that district and for the city as a whole.” That defense will ring hollow for many opponents who note she volunteered on Mamdani’s own mayoral campaign and is a known member of the Democratic Socialists of America. It raises the question of why a mayor would endorse a close ally without confronting a controversial past.
The campaign reaction to the media storm was revealing: a young volunteer posted that the coverage was making Avila Chevalier “sound cooler and cooler,” a comment that underscored the campaign’s appetite for controversy rather than distance from it. That response plays into the narrative critics use to argue this insurgent campaign embraces provocation as political currency. For voters worried about public safety and civic stability, that posture is a clear liability.
Avila Chevalier is also tied to the protests at Columbia University, which escalated and prompted the university to close its campus and involve law enforcement after violent incidents and swastikas appeared. Organizing those demonstrations became a major credential for her among activist circles but a major red flag for parents, local businesses, and residents fearing disorder. The fallout included the resignation of Columbia’s president, a dramatic local consequence.
The race’s calendar sharpens the stakes: New York’s primary is June 23, and the decision by the city’s mayor to back a challenger will shape fundraising, volunteer energy, and local endorsements in the closing days. Mamdani has made a clear choice and publicly stuck with it despite deleted posts, scrubbed website promises, and an activist record that many view as radical. Voters in NY-13 will weigh those facts at the ballot box.
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