Bill Maher calls N.Y. Dem nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier ‘patient zero’ of ‘woke mind virus’

Bill Maher used his Friday night monologue on HBO’s “Real Time” to skewer Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th Congressional District, calling her the “patient zero” of what he termed the “woke mind virus.”

Ms. Avila Chevalier, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, upset incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the Tuesday Democratic primary, capturing 49.4% of the vote to Espaillat’s 45.9%. The 32-year-old doctoral student in sociology at the City University of New York was endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Mr. Maher cited a series of Ms. Avila Chevalier’s stated positions, including her refusal during a media interview to say whether someone convicted of murder should go to jail, her opposition to any and all police, her description of American veterans as war criminals, and past social media posts in which she used profanity to disparage former Vice President Kamala Harris and called former President Joe Biden a rapist.

Ms. Avila Chevalier, a self-described “prison abolitionist,” declined four times during an interview with the New York Editorial Board to directly confirm whether she believes convicted murderers should be incarcerated. When pressed repeatedly, she said: “The fact that the murder happened is tragic. The fact that there was a circumstance in which that could even come to pass is tragic, and all of that is a reflection of systems that allowed that circumstance to be possible.” 

The New York Times described Ms. Avila Chevalier as a candidate who has “voiced support for abolishing the police, borders and prisons and seizing property from landlords.” 

She has also said she opposes all deportations, including those involving individuals with criminal convictions, and has had to field questions on the campaign trail about inflammatory past posts targeting Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden. 

Mr. Maher also targeted Ms. Avila Chevalier’s past statements describing the United States as “occupied native land” and calling America “a f—-ing disgrace,” and her stated intention to take a knee during the congressional oath of office.

Ms. Avila Chevalier, if elected in November, would be the first Dominican woman to represent the district, which covers parts of Upper Manhattan, including Harlem and Inwood, and portions of the Bronx, including Kingsbridge Heights. Major election forecasters currently rate the general election as safe for Democrats. 

Ms. Avila Chevalier’s primary victory was one of several wins for candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the Tuesday contests. Writing in Reason, commentator Robby Soave described Ms. Avila Chevalier as the most overtly radical of the three Mamdani-backed candidates to win their primaries, and argued that her victory represents the first time a figure rooted directly in campus progressive activist circles has advanced to a congressional nomination.