NYC Mayor Mamdani's political clout in Washington may expand via DSA candidates
Election Day is fast approaching, and many candidates for office are busy doing everything they can to convince any remaining undecided voters.
And then there are Democrats running in New York City Districts 7 and 13, areas so blue that candidates for Congress don't need to campaign at all.
Darializa Avila Chevalier is running in the 13th District. Claire Valdez is running in the 7th District. They're both members of Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA.
"We're still encouraging folks to go out. Early voting has already started. Election Day is Nov. 3," Avila Chevalier said.
The district she's running in covers parts of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Valdez's district covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Both are viewed by election analysts as safely Democratic.
The inevitability of their victories doesn't make them any less notable, since they're both DSA members, along with Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani's endorsement of both of them was the key to their primary victories over more experienced, non-DSA opponents, according to political expert and law professor J.C. Polanco. So does that make Mamdani the most powerful politician in Washington who doesn't work out of Washington?
"I think you're on to something there," Polanco said. "He is developing an entire congressional delegation that answers to him."
Avila Chevalier isn't even in Congress yet and has already defied Mamdani publicly. After the ICE shooting of Oscar Belgal earlier this month in her district, she joined demonstrators at the scene calling for the job of Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch for "not meeting the moment."
"We're in different positions. We were elected to do different things," Avila Chevalier said.
The disagreement between allies with such similar ideologies prompts a question: are they prepared to compromise in Washington when they'll face politicians of near-opposite ideologies?
"I'm not willing to compromise on principle, but I think strategy is something we should always be negotiating and moving through," Avila Chevalier said.
A scheduling issue got in the way of a planned interview with Valdez, a staffer said.
Valdez said in a statement, "We have to meet people where they are at and find common ground. I'm looking forward to working with my future colleagues to bring the resources we need to our district."
