NY Dems back foreign teams in World Cup—not Team USA

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and his primary opponent, Darializa Avila Chevalier (D), both named countries other than the United States when asked who they wanted to win the FIFA World Cup. The two Democrats appeared in New York to talk a wide range of issues, from immigration to Israel.

When host Dan Mannarino from PIX 11 News asked who they were rooting for to win the World Cup, neither candidate named the United States. Espaillat replied, "I like Mexico," while Chevalier said she was "rooting for Senegal."

This is hardly the first time Chevalier has expressed what critics describe as anti-American sentiment. In a 2019 post, Chevalier wrote, "I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me. Chevalier, who has been endorsed by Zohran Mamdani, also argued in a social media thread that the United States had committed worse atrocities than Hamas, citing America's past use of nuclear weapons.

Her policy platform includes Medicare for All, housing initiatives, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On her campaign website, Chevalier explains why she supports eliminating the agency. "As the daughter of Dominican immigrants, Darializa has seen firsthand how unnecessarily chaotic and complicated our immigration system can be. As a Ph.D. student, she studies how this system criminalizes Afro-Latino and Black New Yorkers," the website states.

"Congress has given ICE an unprecedented budget of $27.8 billion annually — larger than the entire national budget of many countries. This agency exists to control our communities, not to keep us safe. It was created in 2002; we can return to a world where it does not exist."

Chevalier is also endorsed by the NYC Democratic Socialists of America.

Espaillat, the first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress, represents a more moderate wing of the Democratic Party and enjoys the backing of establishment Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries per the New York Post.

The race for New York's 13th Congressional District appears competitive. A recent poll obtained by the New York Post found Chevalier trailing the incumbent by just 8 percentage points. The primary will be held on June 23.