Tension sparks debate over New York’s 13th Congressional District; Espaillat demands apology from Darializa Ávila

New York. – The debate between the Democratic candidates for New York’s 13th Congressional District was marked by a sharp exchange of accusations between Congressman Adriano Espaillat and his challenger Darializa Ávila Chevalier, in the midst of the final stretch toward the party primaries.

During the meeting organized by the NY1 network, Espaillat demanded that Ávila Chevalier offer a public apology to the Dominican community for statements that, he claimed, constituted an offense to one of the main national symbols of the Dominican Republic.

“Apologize to the Dominicans. You just called the Dominican flag a violent excrement. That is an insult and I ask you to apologize to all the Dominicans of this great city,” the legislator expressed during the debate.

However, Ávila Chevalier rejected the request and responded with allegations against people close to the congressman, whom he accused of carrying out smear campaigns against him.

“They are doing press tours in the Dominican Republic saying the most racist things I have ever heard,” maintained the community activist.

The candidate also reported having been the target of attacks and insults on social media, asserting that she has been called a “gorilla” and a “rat” by some users during the course of the campaign.

Likewise, she accused Espaillat of allocating 5.5 million dollars to initiatives aimed at attacking her personally, a claim that adds to the growing tension between both candidates in the race for the representation of one of the districts with the largest presence of the Dominican community in the United States.

The Democratic primaries for Congressional District 13 are being held in a context of high attention among voters of Latino and Dominican origin, who constitute a significant part of the electorate in the district.