A left-wing organizer behind last year’s Columbia University alumni encampment protesting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza announced a primary challenge to Democratic U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat on Thursday.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, 31, was the organizing lead for upper Manhattan and the Bronx for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, according to her campaign. She also helped organize the Columbia University student encampment protesting Israel’s war in Gaza in 2024 and said that she advocated for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a fellow Columbia organizer, when he was detained by federal immigration authorities earlier this year.
