A third New York House primary has gone to a challenger backed by the city's mayor, completing a striking night for his slate. According to the reporting, ABC News indicates that Daria Avila-Chevalier has bested Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary in New York's 13th congressional district. The result unseated a sitting member of Congress.
The defeated incumbent is a familiar figure in Washington and within the Democratic caucus. According to the reporting, Adriano Espaillat is a longtime congressman and the leader of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Losing a primary from that position underscored the strength of the challenge he faced in his own district.
The challenger ran with the support of New York City's mayor, which framed the contest. According to the reporting, Avila-Chevalier was among the candidates endorsed by Mayor Zoran Mamdani. That backing tied her bid directly to the mayor's effort to extend his political influence to like-minded candidates across the city.
The nature of the district makes the primary result especially consequential. According to the reporting, the 13th is a heavily Democratic district, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary is likely to head to Washington. Avila-Chevalier is therefore positioned to take the seat when the new Congress convenes early next year.
Her victory was the final piece of a perfect record for the mayor's endorsements on the night. According to the reporting, the win meant Mamdani went three for three, a clean sweep, with all three of the candidates he endorsed coming out on top. The other two were Claire Valdez in the 7th district and Brad Lander in the 10th district.
The sweep strengthened the mayor's argument about the reach of his brand of politics. According to the reporting, the races were important to Mamdani in making the case that his approach can extend to other candidates, even as observers suggested he may need to do some repair work with parts of the Democratic establishment. For now, the results showed progressive challengers winning across New York City.