Valdez, a first-term assemblywoman defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in a district that covers trendy, gentrifying areas that were once mostly working-class and Latino in northwestern Brooklyn and Queens. The seat is being left open by retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who endorsed Reynoso, as did many local elected officials.
During the primary the two contenders agreed on most issues, but Valdez argued throughout the campaign that Reynoso wasn't outspoken enough.
Perhaps the most impressive victory result came in last with Avila Chevalier, a doctoral student and community organizer, defeating Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-New York, the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus by about four percentage points in a district covering northern Manhattan and a portion of the Bronx.
Avila Chevalier survived a deluge of attacks for previous social media posts that called for abolishing the police and prisons. She also called veterans "war criminals" and former President Joe Biden a "rapist," although she apologized during the campaign.
"The same billionaires that attacked Zohran Mamdani are now spending millions against me," Avila Chevalier said in an ad responding to the attacks. "They know that unlike Adriano Espaillat, I can’t be bought and I won’t back down to Trump."
Both Valdez and Avila Chevalier are members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
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