Congressmember Adriano Espaillat has been a fixture of Uptown New York City politics for almost three decades, first as a state assemblymember, then a state senator, and now, the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Espaillat, who was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in the district he now represents, became the first Dominican American and the first formerly undocumented immigrant to become a member of Congress when he replaced "the Lion of Lenox Avenue," Charlie Rangel, nine years ago.
Representing nearly half a million voters in NY-13, which stretches from Morningside Heights and East Harlem through Washington Heights and into the Bronx in Kingsbridge, Espaillat has garnered his own moniker of sorts as the leader of the "Squadriano," a group of Dominican American elected officials in New York City of which he is the dean. His record as a "practical" progressive Democrat includes working to fund major infrastructure projects like the Second Avenue subway, battling Con Ed over a blackout, and securing almost $38 million for a Dominican arts and culture center in Inwood.
Given his record and his roots, earlier this year, the 71-year-old incumbent was in good shape heading into June's primary. He had endorsements from prominent Democrats like Governor Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James, retiring Congressmember Nydia Velázquez, and City Council Speaker Julie Menin. He was also reportedly promised the endorsement of Mayor Zohran Mamdani—a handshake agreement the two made after Espaillat backed Mamdani in the general election (Espaillat initially endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the primary).
But in a surprise switcheroo last Thursday, the mayor announced he would instead be endorsing Espaillat's challenger, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a fellow member of the Democratic Socialists of America—apparently breaking his pledge to the incumbent. If Mamdani's picks are successful, it would mean he'd have four DSA-aligned allies—Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Claire Valdez, Avila Chevalier, and DSA-friendly Brad Lander—in Congress (and the mayor made sure to plug the latter three in a TV ad during the first Knicks Finals game).