As House Democratic leaders prepare to take the reins of power in Congress, they are also poised to reckon with far-left rebels who could make their lives difficult over the next two years. Democrats are projected to win back the House majority after Tuesday night’s midterm elections. It comes after a far-left insurgency roiled Democrats' primary elections, and some of those socialist candidates are now expected to be heading to Capitol Hill next year.
RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ? Darializa Avila Chevalier is projected to be the next House representative from New York's 13th congressional district, which covers Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. Chevalier's victory comes after she scored an upset victory over Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman Rep.
Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., amid an anti-incumbent wave that swept Empire State elections. Born in Florida to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, she moved to New York City to attend Columbia University for her undergraduate degree. Chevalier has already earned criticism from her future Republican colleagues for past comments, including a now-deleted post on X, then Twitter, where she purportedly wrote, "I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me." She's notably withheld support from Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to be the next Speaker of the House, telling Vanity Fair she would need certain "commitments" on progressive issues like Medicare for All.
JEFFRIES WELCOMES DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS INTO THE FOLD AS CRITICS WARN PARTY IS REVEALING 'EXACTLY WHO IT IS' Claire Valdez is another member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who scored an upset victory during New York's primaries, defeating a Democrat backed by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., for the party's nomination. MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WINS IN NEW YORK EXPOSE GROWING RIFT BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT, INSURGENT LEFT Valdez is now projected to take over Velázquez's seat in New York's 7th congressional district, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens.
Valdez is currently a member of the New York State Assembly. On her campaign website, she touts herself as a "dual citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation and the United States." She also has not confirmed whether she will support Jeffries for speaker, telling New York Magazine she would not "negotiate in public" but that she would "see how the midterms shake out." CARVILLE WARNS DEMOCRATS MAY NEED TO BLOCK FAR-LEFT CANDIDATES FROM JOINING CAUCUS, MODERATE GROUP DISAGREES Donavan McKinney in Michigan's 13th congressional district is another beneficiary of the anti-incumbency backlash during the 2026 election cycle. He's now projected to come to Congress after earlier defeating Rep.
Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., in the primaries. McKinney is a DSA member and was backed by other prominent socialists like Rep. The district he is poised to represent includes part of Detroit and its suburbs.
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