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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a Sunday “State of the Union” interview that Democrats must confront a fight over the party’s direction after New York Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., in their party’s primary.
“I think what our party has to go through that will be very healthy and something we’ve not really done since the 1992 election cycle is to have a battle over what we believe in,” Shapiro said. “To have a battle over the ideas that we are going to hold on to and campaign on and then deliver on as a way to make people’s lives better.”
Shapiro was asked by CNN’s Dana Bash what message he took from Democratic voters in New York choosing three candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom Bash described as “far left and Democratic socialist candidates.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Democrats need a “battle over what we believe in” after socialist-backed candidates won major New York primaries. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images via Reuters)
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“Those were races in individual districts in a whole other state,” Shapiro said. “I think you’re seeing very different-looking congressional races and certainly different Democratic candidates here in Pennsylvania.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat said candidates who generate activist enthusiasm will now have to show they can govern.
“I think what is important are the people who are making a lot of noise, who are engaging in these performative politics, have to now figure out how to deliver results,” Shapiro said.
Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated longtime Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Shapiro said campaign rhetoric was not enough for voters facing economic pressure, healthcare concerns and cost-of-living issues.
“It’s one thing to speak in platitudes during a campaign,” Shapiro said. “It’s a whole other thing to actually deliver for people who are genuinely hurting.”
When asked specifically about Chevalier, Shapiro said voters in her district made their choice but made clear he had little in common with her politics.
Zohran Mamdani backed Avila Chevalier as part of a slate of democratic socialist candidates who scored upset wins in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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“Her district voted for her, but I have profound differences from that particular candidate,” Shapiro said. “And she’s not someone who seemingly I would agree with on many things or that we share similar values.”
Chevalier defeated Espaillat, D-N.Y., after the Associated Press projected her the winner of the Democratic primary. With more than 86% of the expected vote counted, Chevalier had 49.4% of the vote to Espaillat’s 45.9%, according to NY1.
The district includes parts of Upper Manhattan, including Harlem, and parts of the Bronx. Chevalier, a Democratic Socialists of America member, was one of Mamdani’s endorsed congressional candidates.
Chevalier told supporters after her primary win that the result marked a political turning point for the district.
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“I know that each of us are seeing what I’m seeing right now: a new dawn for this district,” Avila Chevalier said, according to NY1.
Her campaign website lists priorities including “Abolish ICE,” “Babies, Not Bombs,” “Medicare-for-all,” “Housing for All,” “Quality Education” and “Fighting Corporate Greed.”
Avila Chevalier has pushed back on criticism over past social media posts, saying the focus should be on the district’s future.
“My opponent wants to live in the past,” Avila Chevalier told CNN, according to The National News Desk. “I have grown considerably since in the years since these tweets, and I am focused on our community and our community’s future.”
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Shapiro also said Democrats should focus on nominees who can turn campaign promises into results.
“I think we, as a party, need to find our way toward candidates who actually can deliver for people and make their lives better,” Shapiro said.
