Zohran Mamdani said he still supports Darializa Avila Chevalier after deleted 2018-2022 posts resurfaced, arguing her views have evolved and her current campaign better reflects what she would fight for.
The 32-year-old congressional candidate had posted that the U.S. was a "disgrace," endorsed abolishing borders, prisons and police, and backed sweeping nationalization, rent suspension and $3,000-a-month universal basic income.
Mamdani said her record helping New Yorkers detained by ICE and advocating for working people outweighs the old posts, calling her an "incredible champion" for the 13th District and the city.
The dispute lands less than two weeks before New York's June 23 primary, where Avila Chevalier is trying to unseat five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a heated race covering Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx.