The Democratic Party has an identity crisis.Three far-left radicals backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primary elections Tuesday night in a clean sweep by socialist and socialist-adjacent candidates.The mayor's preferred candidates destroyed those backed by the Democrat establishment and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), leaving party leadership shellshocked.Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members Darializa Avila Chevalier and State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, along with progressive Democrat and former DSA member Brad Lander, all have a clear path to Congress after winning in heavily blue districts.New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives to take part in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on June 14, 2026.
(Adam Gray/Associated Press)Here's what we know about them:'PARTY OF ZOHRAN': MAMDANI EMERGES AS DEMOCRATIC KINGMAKER AFTER SOCIALIST ALLIES SWEEP NYC PRIMARIESAvila Chevalier, 32, is originally from Florida.She attended Columbia University and is currently pursuing a PhD at the City University of New York (CUNY).She spent much of her time in college organizing against the political right, and is a hardline anti-Israel actor.
At the Ivy League school, she helped found a group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which later caused a firestorm when it posted "Death to America" in Farsi on X.In 2024, the group faced widespread condemnation when it stated that it was "fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization." Columbia has distanced itself from the group.Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally at King's Theater in New York City on June 18, 2026.Sen.
Bernie Sanders and Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned alongside her and other candidates ahead of the Democratic primary and early voting.(Michael M.
Santiago/Getty Images)MAMDANI STANDS BY FELLOW SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DESPITE RESURFACED FAR-LEFT, ANTI-AMERICAN POSTSAvila Chevalie...