Espaillat, also the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had the backing of top Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The 71-year-old was the first Dominican-American to be elected to Congress and his campaign emphasized his advocacy against President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda.
“Tonight wasn’t our night, but I love you anyway,” Espaillat said in his concession speech to supporters. Espaillat, who immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in 1964, said it was the “privilege of my life to serve you, the community, and I will continue to love and serve this community the best way that I can.”
When asked if he had a message for Mamdani, whom Espaillat had endorsed in the mayoral election, he said, “I respect the mayor’s decision.”
Speaking to Avila Chevalier’s supporters after her victory, Mamdani said, “I was asked time and again, why would I support this campaign? And I said then, I can think of no better person than the daughter of a single mother caseworker who has fought for working people her entire life, who has stood up for New Yorkers unjustly detained by I.C.E., who has called for a foreign policy of investing in babies and not bombs.”
