Although American democracy is strengthened by a diversity of voices and viewpoints, there have been candidates for public office throughout American history whose stated beliefs and public conduct have stood fundamentally at odds with our nation's constitutional ideals and democratic values.

These have included David Duke, who championed white supremacy and antisemitic conspiracy theories; George Lincoln Rockwell, who openly embraced Nazism while seeking the presidency; Lyndon LaRouche, who repeatedly promoted antisemitic and other conspiracy theories during his presidential campaigns; Earl Browder, who sought the presidency while advocating policies aligned with the Soviet communist movement; and others.

We believe Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic nominee for New York's 13th Congressional District, has compiled a public record that deserves the same unequivocal condemnation.

The following statements and actions have been widely reported and documented:

• In 2019, Chevalier tweeted: “Seize the means of production.”
• In 2019, Chevalier tweeted: “I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me.”
• During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Chevalier reposted a message calling for the nationalization of utilities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, the suspension of rent and mortgage payments, the dissolution of private health insurance companies, and the seizure of “all properties from landlords.”
• During the 2020 presidential campaign, Chevalier referred to Joe Biden as a “rapist” and a “war criminal.”
• During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Chevalier tweeted: “F-ck you. We’re gonna defund and abolish. You don’t get to water down our movements.”
• Two days later, Chevalier tweeted: “No. It means ending policing full stop. Period. No more police at all ever.”
• In August 2020, Chevalier reposted the statement: “Trick question – Israel doesn’t exist!”
• In 2020, Chevalier criticized Senator Bernie Sanders for promoting what she called “liberal Zionism.”
• In 2020, Chevalier wrote: “Most of the theory I’ve read is communism but the pyromania associated with anarchism is very intriguing to me.”
• In 2020, Chevalier reposted a quotation from Assata Shakur stating that she preferred reading “Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il Sung, Che, or Fidel” before Marx and Lenin because of their revolutionary contributions.
• In 2020, Chevalier reposted a complaint that bookstore “banned books” displays did not include The Complete Works of J. V. Stalin.
• In 2020, Chevalier reposted a message arguing that Americans reject communism over trivial concerns, including the number of soup varieties available in grocery stores.
• Around 2020, Chevalier reposted a statement by Boots Riley advocating democratic control of wealth created by workers, concluding, “You can call that communism, you can call it socialism, you can call it pancakes.”
• In September 2021, Chevalier reposted: “A world without borders—just like a world without prisons or police—is possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward.”
• In September 2021, Chevalier reposted: “Yes, literally, abolish the border.”
• In 2021, Chevalier reposted: “ALL PIGS EVERYWHERE ARE HARAM.”
• In 2022, Chevalier posted comments mocking the hardships faced by some returning veterans.
• On October 8, 2023, Chevalier attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City held the day after the Hamas attacks, during which American citizens were among those killed and taken hostage.
• In 2024, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition, which Chevalier co-founded, declared it was, “fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization.”  

This record reflects repeated expressions of hostility toward core American ideals and institutions, disrespect for American veterans, bigotry, nihilism, sympathy for authoritarian communist ideologies, indirect support for U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, and a pattern of deeply offensive and extremist rhetoric.

We call on the Democratic Party, Democratic elected officials, and civic leaders across the political spectrum to publicly condemn these statements and actions and to actively oppose Darializa Avila Chevalier's election to the United States Congress. 

Most Americans love our country and want to be represented by leaders who respect our democracy, uphold our constitutional values, and strengthen the institutions that safeguard our freedoms. Darializa Avila Chevalier is not such a leader.