Shapiro says – Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he has “profound differences” with Democratic congressional hopeful Darializa Avila Chevalier, who won a New York City Democratic primary despite her anti-ICE and anti-Israel stances. During an interview on CNN’s State of th
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro did not sound thrilled about the odds that Darializa Avila Chevalier will make it to Congress this year.
In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning. Shapiro said he has “profound differences” with Chevalier. a Democratic socialist who won her New York City Democratic primary recently. But when pressed on what those differences mean for voters in November. he stopped short of advising them to turn away.
“She called for the abolition of prisons. open borders. end to deportations — even people convicted of violent crimes. ” anchor Dana Bash said. Bash also referenced Chevalier’s appearance at a pro-Palestinian rally on October 8th. 2023. adding that the rally reportedly included anti-Semitic rhetoric justifying the attack. Bash asked Shapiro how he feels as a Democrat about someone with those views potentially serving in U.S. Congress.
Shapiro replied that Chevalier’s district chose her. “Look. her district voted for her. ” he said. adding that he nonetheless has “profound differences” with the candidate “based on the citations that you read there.” He said she is “not someone. you know. who seemingly I would agree with on many things. or that we share similar values.”.
Bash then asked what Chevalier’s primary victory says about the current state of the Democratic Party.
Shapiro said the party has to wrestle with its ideas before it can unite. “I think what our party has to go through — that will be very healthy and something we’ve not really done since the 1992 election cycle — is to have a battle over what we believe in. ” he said. “To have a battle over over the ideas that we are going to hold on to and campaign on. and then deliver on as a way to make people’s lives better.”.
He continued: “I expect our party, over the course of this next year or so, to go through a title about what we believe in — and then come out unified in a way that we can take the fight to the other side and really deliver for the American people.”
Shapiro’s comments arrive after Chevalier won support from New York City Mayor and fellow socialist Zohran Mamdani. The wave of socialist-aligned candidates also includes two other primary winners mentioned alongside Chevalier: Claire Valdez (D). another card-carrying DSA member. and Brad Lander (D). a former DSA member who left the organization after its response to the October 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel.
Lander, though, earned Mamdani’s support by presenting himself as more critical of Israel than incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). The article also notes Lander has claimed that American support for Israel made the USA “complicit in genocide.”
Beyond their shared socialist platform, the three candidates agree that ICE needs to be abolished.
Mamdani celebrated the socialist slate on election night and in interviews that followed, but the results unsettled establishment Democrats. One centrist House Democrat told Axios that 2027 would be a “headache” for the party with them around.
Bill Maher said Democrats would “blow” the midterms if they embrace the “crazy” socialists, and James Carville urged congressional Democrats to shun any socialists who enter Congress.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, offered a different kind of response. He sardonically congratulated Mamdani on getting “3 solid Communists” elected, then later shifted tone and said the communists have started to make “their move” in the USA.
“The game is on,” Trump said. “Enjoy watching!” Trump has repeatedly criticized socialism and communism in recent remarks, including telling audiences during his Fourth of July speech that communism is a “cancer” that must be dealt with ASAP.
For Shapiro. the tension is clear: he says he disagrees deeply with Chevalier’s positions. yet he still holds that voters in her district have already made their choice—and that Democrats now face an internal struggle over what ideas they will stand on as the general election approaches later this year.
Josh Shapiro Darializa Avila Chevalier ICE abolition Democratic Party New York City primary Democratic Socialists of America Zohran Mamdani Dan Goldman Brad Lander Claire Valdez Trump communism remarks State of the Union interview
So Shapiro’s scared of her views? I mean the title says it all.
Open borders and abolition of prisons?? That’s insane. But also it’s like… why are Democrats surprised when voters pick someone? The party’s been a mess for years.
Wait I thought ICE was part of homeland security? If she’s anti-ICE then that’s like being anti-cops? I’m not saying she’s wrong about Israel or whatever but the anti-Semitic rally part is what I keep hearing. Shapiro not advising voters is kinda cowardly though.
This is confusing because Shapiro says “profound differences” but then keeps saying her district voted for her. Like okay but what does that even mean? Also “violent crimes” deportations… who even knows the details, nobody reads the whole citations. Feels like CNN is just throwing around labels and everyone’s supposed to pick a team.