Staff Reports
There’s a new episode in the Democrat civil war playing out in New York — and this one came with receipts. CNN’s KFILE found thousands of archived posts from Darializa Avila Chevalier’s deleted social account that read like a wishlist from the far left: abolish police, prisons and borders; seize private property and nationalize industries; and even posts questioning Israel’s right to exist. The discovery has turned a local primary into a test of whether radical pasts get forgiven or exposed.
CNN KFILE, the Wayback Machine, and the Deleted Tweets
The core development is simple and verifiable: the Internet Archive preserved more than 3,600 pages of posts from Avila Chevalier’s old account, and CNN reviewed many of them. Those archived posts include explicit calls to “end policing full stop,” endorsements of open borders, and other extreme positions that the candidate later deleted. Avila Chevalier is running in New York’s 13th Congressional District as a progressive challenger to U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat, and she’s backed by groups on the left like the DSA and Justice Democrats. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public endorsement of her made those tweets politically explosive.
Why Mamdani’s Endorsement Amplified the Story
Endorsements matter, and this one mattered a lot. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s support elevated a primary that might otherwise have stayed local. That endorsement meant reporters and voters would dig deeper — which they did. Instead of a fringe or academic past, voters now see a paper trail of radical ideas tied to a candidate the mayor is promoting as the new face of city leadership. For regular voters worried about safety, property rights, and common-sense governance, that’s not a small detail.
“I’ve Grown” Isn’t a Substitute for Answers
Avila Chevalier says the archived tweets don’t reflect who she is today and that she has “grown considerably.” That sounds plausible — people change. But deletion plus a vague claim of growth doesn’t fix things. It raises questions: when did she change her mind, why were these posts written or shared in the first place, and why did she feel compelled to wipe them away? Voters deserve specifics, not PR spin. If you’re running for Congress, say what you believe now and explain the record you left behind.
What Voters Should Watch Next
Watch for three things: first, whether Avila Chevalier provides a full accounting of the archived posts and specific policy reversals; second, whether Mayor Mamdani doubles down or distances himself; and third, whether U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat and other local leaders use this material to contrast their judgment and priorities with a candidate backed by radicals. This primary is now a referendum on whether New Yorkers prefer bomb-throwing rhetoric or pragmatic representation — and voters should demand clarity before they mark a ballot.
