UMVA has learned that New York City’s mayor is standing behind a controversial challenger in a race that could reshape the city’s future.
The mayor, a veteran of progressive politics, has pledged full support to Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32‑year‑old activist who once led protests at a major university and has a history of incendiary online posts.
Avila Chevalier’s past tweets, now deleted, painted a picture of a radical vision that called for the abolition of borders, prisons, and police, and demanded sweeping nationalizations of private industry.
During the pandemic, she urged the government to hand out universal basic income, seize private property, and dissolve insurance companies, all while calling high‑profile politicians “war criminals.”
Despite this incendiary past, the mayor insists he has not seen those messages and believes Avila Chevalier’s current platform reflects a mature, practical approach to fighting systemic injustice.
He highlighted her record of freeing New Yorkers unjustly detained by ICE and her advocacy for workers, arguing that she could become a powerful champion for a district plagued by displacement and economic insecurity.
He said, “When I see a candidate with a history of standing up for the forgotten, I know she will fight hard for those who feel left behind.”
In late May, the mayor formally endorsed Avila Chevalier, calling her a “commitment fulfilled” and expressing excitement for her to lead the fight for affordability across the city and beyond.
The primary could swing the district’s future, as the incumbent has served five terms and faces a heated contest from a candidate whose past and present promise to ignite debate.
While the mayor’s endorsement is a decisive signal, the city’s electorate will decide whether they will embrace a candidate whose past controversies contrast sharply with her current promises of change.
