A controversial far-left insurgent congressional candidate backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani only trails longtime New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat by eight points — just one week before the Democratic primary, a new poll claims.
Doctoral candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is also supported by the Democratic Socialists of America, bested Espaillat among white voters, 35% to 25%, according to the survey obtained by The Post.
Espaillat led among black voters 36% to 21% and Latinos 42% to 30% in the 13th House District that runs through the northern Manhattan neighborhoods of Morningside Heights, Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights/Inwood and the western Bronx.
Overall, the five-term incumbent only led by a less than comfortable margin — 35% to 27%, according to the survey conducted by Mercury Public Affairs for the pro-Espaillat National Black Empowerment Action Fund.
A huge 38% of Democrats — nearly four in 10 — were still undecided according to the survey of 468 likely Democratic primary voters, which was conducted from June 9-11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Despite the close race, the poll claimed some of the DSA’s hard left positions are unpopular in the district, as 72% of respondents support school choice and charter schools, and nearly as many oppose defunding the police.
“Taken together, the findings suggest that Democratic primary voters in NY-13 remain more aligned with public safety, educational opportunity, and community stability than with the DSA’s most controversial policy positions,” the polling memo said.
The NBEAF super Pac plans to spend at least $500,000 to aid Espaillat during the final week of the campaign. Election Day is June 23 after nine days of early voting that began Saturday.
The group is running a digital ad calling Espaillat a “real Democrat” while slamming “extremists” who want to “gentrify your neighborhood.”
“This is about making sure the public knows Congressman Espaillat is fighting hard for black and Hispanic New Yorkers and standing up to outside forces that want to take advantage of our communities for their own purposes,” said Darius Jones, senior advisor to NBEAF.
“Espaillat is a real Democrat and genuine progressive who doesn’t entertain extremism. He needs to hear from us on what we think he’s doing right – and staying strong on our agenda is at the top of that list.”
Jones claimed black and Hispanic voters “don’t like the trick the DSA is trying to pull in Harlem – using the forces of gentrification to try to supplant our agenda and subvert our priorities.”
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“We know crazy when we see it,” Jones said. “Abolishing the police and releasing every prisoner, even rapists and murderers, isn’t progressive. It’s nuts. It isn’t people with a doorman who have the most to lose; we know it’s us, people of color, who are going to suffer most from the DSA’s reckless agenda.”
Polling primary elections is tricky because it’s difficult to precisely predict the composition of the electorate in what are typically lower turnout affairs.
Mamdani flipped the script last year when he got more turnout from younger voters that was projected in the 2025 mayor’s race, defying nearly all pre-primary election polling when he defeated ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Voter turnout could be key in determining the outcome of what has become a generational contest pitting Chevalier, a 32-year upstart, against party stalwart Espaillat, 71, who served stints in the state Assembly and Senate before his ascension to the House of Representatives.
Espaillat, the first Dominican-American to serve in Congress, must ensure his base of older working-class and middle-class black and Latino voters turn out.
He won key backing over the weekend from black elected officials representing the Harlem part of the district — state Sen. Cordell Cleare and Assembly members Al Taylor and Jordan Wright, the son of Manhattan Democratic leader Keith Wright.
House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Congressional Black Caucus headed by Brooklyn Rep. Yvette Clarke also got together to back Espaillat, who is chairman of the Hispanic Caucus.
Mamdani has stumped with Chevalier, an immigration activist, helping to galvanize younger and progressive backers in the district that helped elect him mayor last year.
Chevalier gets another boost on Thursday, when Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders attends a Brooklyn rally with Mamdani to support her and fellow DSA candidate Claire Valdez in the open 7th District to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez.
