Congressional Black Caucus endorses former rival Rep. Adriano Espaillat over Black primary challenger

NEW YORK — The Congressional Black Caucus’ political arm is endorsing Rep. Adriano Espaillat over a democratic socialist, Afro-Latina primary challenger — about a decade after the group rejected Espaillat’s efforts to join its ranks.

Espaillat, who represents Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, is facing a primary challenge from Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old pro-Palestine organizer who led Columbia University’s protest encampment in 2024. Her candidacy is part of a wave of left-leaning primary challenges against pro-Israel incumbents in New York and beyond.

Espaillat’s rocky history with the Congressional Black Caucus predates his election to Congress. He rankled members of the group in 2012 and 2014 when he waged unsuccessful efforts to unseat Rep. Charles Rangel, a founding member of the CBC.

When Rangel retired, Espaillat ran for the seat a third time and again found himself at odds with the caucus, which endorsed then-state Assemblymember Keith Wright, Rangel’s handpicked successor. Wright, currently the leader of the Manhattan Democratic Party, lost to Espaillat, and the two now helm warring political factions in New York politics.

Once in Congress, Espaillat attempted in 2017 to join the CBC while simultaneously serving in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a group he now leads as its chair. He has identified as a Latino of African descent on the campaign trail, but his request was denied.

Former CBC Chair Karen Bass told POLITICO in 2020 “there was a specific situation that was more important than [Espaillat’s] ethnic background” that prevented him from joining the caucus. “It was a specific conflict, and I’m not going to talk about it.”

Espaillat said he was still trying to join the group in 2022. Now, the organization is backing him for the first time as he faces a challenge from Avila Chevalier, who holds endorsements from the city’s DSA chapter and the Justice Democrats.

“Congressman Adriano Espaillat reflects the kind of leadership that our caucus and its members have long championed,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the CBC’s PAC, in a statement. “At a time when working families are being priced out of neighborhoods they’ve called home for generations, Adriano has been on the front lines of the fight to make New York City more affordable. That commitment is rooted in lived experience, moral clarity, and a deep commitment to economic justice and civil rights.”

In its announcement — shared first with POLITICO — the CBC’s PAC said its decision to back Espaillat was rooted in his alignment with its core values and touted his work to fund affordable housing and advocate against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics.

“I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC,” Espaillat said in a statement. “The CBC has long stood at the forefront of the fight for economic opportunity and social justice for Black and other marginalized communities. As the first formerly undocumented person to serve in Congress, this endorsement carries special meaning for me.”