Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic socialist who stunned New York Democrats by defeating longtime Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th Congressional District primary, is facing renewed outrage over resurfaced social media posts — including one in which she reportedly said she used an American flag to wipe her filthy hands.
“I forgot to get napkins, so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me,” Avila Chevalier reportedly wrote in a now-deleted post. In another post, she reportedly declared, “This country is a f—–g disgrace.”
The comments set off a firestorm among critics who said the posts reflected open contempt for the nation she now wants to represent in Congress. The backlash intensified after Avila Chevalier, who was backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America, pulled off one of the biggest political upsets of the primary season.
She was one of three Democratic Socialists to win Tuesday night.
“These people are bad people,” Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) said on The Todd Starnes Radio Show. ” One of them said she wipes her hand with the flag as though it’s the napkin. Others who unabashedly support Muslim terrorists. I mean these are bad and we’ve got to be worried about the future of the country.”
“The Democrats are no longer the loyal opposition,” the Republican congressman told Starnes. “In many cases, they are the enemy of the country. And I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that. These are people who hate America and who seek its destruction. And we need to be very, very scared about that.”
Fox News reported that Avila Chevalier’s past posts included criticism of police, prisons, deportations, and U.S. institutions. She has also been scrutinized for remarks about Dominican nationalism, which drew anger in a district with a large Dominican-American population.
During a recent debate, Avila Chevalier attempted to distance herself from some of the rhetoric.
“I deeply regret those tweets,” she said, adding that she was “taking accountability.” She also apologized to former Vice President Kamala Harris for an earlier profane post, saying Harris “did not deserve that language from me.”
Mamdani defended his endorsement, saying he had not seen the posts and that “her views have evolved.”
But critics said the comments were more than youthful indiscretions. Trump border czar Tom Homan, responding to Avila Chevalier and Mamdani’s opposition to deportations, said, “These politicians are nuts. They lost their minds.”
Todd Starnes is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and host of The Todd Starnes Radio Show.
