Darializa Ávila Chevalier announced this Wednesday his decision to compete in the Democratic Party primaries for the seat in the House of Representatives that he currently occupies Adriano Espaillat.
The news could not go beyond an anecdote taking into account the difference in status between both candidates: Ávila Chevalier is nothing more than an activist while Espaillat is the leader of the Hispanic caucus in Congress and a member since 2011 of both the Senate and the House.
However, the candidacy can be taken as a preview of what is to come and it is no coincidence that it happened precisely in New York. He “Mamdani effect” is called to inspire many progressives who understand that the Democratic Party must turn to the left, towards positions even more radical than those of Bernie Sanders o Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.
Candidates from activism and with a solid base of supporters who present themselves as anti-politics politiciansa sort of what 11M was in Spain and whose future can strengthen or definitively derail his party.
What we know about Avila Knight draw the classic left-wing populist profile: “When we come together, we can overthrow the political machines of the rich and build a government for the people and by the people,” said the Democratic candidate in her statement.
He also added: “Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani showed us how far we can go when we stop the policies of the past from dictating the future that we can build for all New Yorkers of today.”
The candidate was also quick to reject the commitment to vote for Hakeem Jeffries as minority leader in the House or as speaker of the same in the event of a Democratic victory.
Even Jeffries seems lukewarm and too inclined towards the “establishment” to the new progressives. After all, he put him there no more and no less than the octogenarian Nancy Pelosi. Furthermore, as often happens on certain leftists, the pro-Palestinian side appears: one of the biggest criticisms that Chevalier has received in recent years is his constant support for Israel.
The memory of Sanders-Clinton
Beyond New York, the so-called “Justice Democrats” (“Democrats for Justice”, in a somewhat loose translation) seem willing to present candidates in a good part of the districts where the favorite is a Democrat.
For example, in Michigan, Montana, California, Hawaii or Georgia, there will be self-proclaimed “socialist” candidates who will face rivals established for decades from their youth. That number will undoubtedly increase if surveys begin to show the success of the formula.
This double soul within the Democratic Party may be a cause for enthusiasm and renewal, but of course it also poses a huge risk. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez herself has stated this: “It doesn’t seem like a good idea to discuss the leaders right now,” said one of the voices of Democratic progressivism.
The example of the terrible fight between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential nomination is not that far off. Both mobilized their electorates so much against the other candidate that in the end the winner found rejection at the polls from many of her expected voters.
Can the same happen in the 2026 legislative elections? Definitely. If the progressive candidates manage to turn the primaries into a fight against the ability of the older generations to lead the party, There are only two scenarios: in case of victory, they will face the fears of a society like the American one that is rather conservative and usually asks for centrist representatives; In case of defeat, a good part of their followers will stay at home convinced that they cannot support an old glory.
The Epstein Case corners Trump
All of this would make the Republican Party jump for joy… if it weren’t for the fact that they also have their own thing.
In the GOP, the liberal tradition inherited from Reagan and the Bushes coexists right now with the conservative tradition of a Pence or a Cruz… with MAGA nationalist populism with a diffuse ideology. The figure of Trump manages to bring together the three sensitivities, but Trump does not appear in 2026 and his Erratic handling of the Epstein case does not benefit his party at all.
Protesters demanding the release of Epstein’s files outside the Capitol this Tuesday before the vote in the House of Representatives.
Reuters
In reality, practically the entire American political class is in those emails… and it is not a scandal that this is the case. Epstein was a rich and powerful man who hung out with other rich and powerful men. That, in itself, does not presuppose a crime. Which Yes, what is more suspicious is the attempt at concealment.
On the MAGA basis, it has hurt a lot, because The publication of Epstein’s papers was one of their great demands, accepted in the campaign by Trump himself.
Now, we find a clear division, perhaps the largest seen since 2015 in the Republican Party. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, uOne of the great scourges of the Democratic Party and the first representatives of America First in Congress, has seen how Trump denied her his support for re-election.
Without knowing exactly what information comes to light and to what extent it affects the president, it is very likely that we will see several Republican candidates in the primaries who cry out precisely against those defended by Trump and use the Epstein case for this.
The importance of the elections, although there is still a year left, is colossal. If Trump loses the support of both chambers, the legislature could be completely blocked. What would the billionaire do then? Accept your defeat or appeal to dark conspiracies? And in that case, how many would follow him to the mountain and with what weapons? Bets are allowed.