Mamdani-backed Democrat socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier said in an interview she has not decided whether she will vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for Speaker of the House.
Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) in New York’s 13th congressional district primary. She told PIX11’s Dan Mannarino she had not yet spoken to Jeffries.
“The first vote that I make will set the tone for the kind of leadership that this district will have, and I want to make sure that I’m making that vote with the considerations of the community in mind,” Avila Chevalier said.
The democrat socialist made similar remarks Saturday on “The Joy Reid Show.” There, she said she would consult constituents before backing Jeffries if Democrats retake the majority. “It’s not a question about how any one individual feels personally,” she said.
Jeffries addressed Avila Chevalier’s primary win during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “Her views are clearly not my views, and that should be obvious to everyone in terms of what brings Democrats together,” the minority leader said.
The standoff comes as a growing bloc of Democratic Socialists of America-aligned primary winners, including New York’s Claire Valdez and former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), declines to commit to Jeffries. The Brooklyn Democrat has brushed off the resistance, saying he has not lost a single Democrat vote across his prior speaker nominations.
Chevalier, 32, co-founded the Columbia University group that posted it was fighting for the “total eradication of Western civilization.” She has called for abolishing ICE and argued “all deportations are wrong.”
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