David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard and Holocaust denier, called up a reporter to praise a New York congressional candidate — and the candidate he praised is backed by New York City’s new socialist mayor.
Story Snapshot
- David Duke personally praised Darializa Avila Chevalier after a deleted 2019 post where she criticized Black and Arab men for “fetishizing ugly colonizer women”
- Duke told the Washington Free Beacon he admired Chevalier’s desire to keep her “bloodlines pure” — a claim Chevalier has not directly denied
- Chevalier refused to condemn Hamas or the October 7 massacre at a Democratic endorsement meeting, costing her that group’s support
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist, endorsed Chevalier — and she won the Democratic primary against incumbent Adriano Espaillat
The Post That Started It All
In 2019, Darializa Avila Chevalier posted on social media criticizing Black and Arab men for what she called “fetishizing ugly colonizer women.” The post was later deleted. That language caught the attention of David Duke, who called Washington Free Beacon reporter Jon Levine to say he admired her views on keeping racial bloodlines separate. Duke is not a figure whose praise any serious candidate wants. He led the Ku Klux Klan and has spent decades promoting white supremacy and denying the Holocaust.
Chevalier has said she would not use the same language today. But she has not put out a direct, on-record statement addressing Duke’s specific claims about her views on race and bloodlines. That silence is notable. When a Holocaust denier calls a reporter to praise your racial views, the response needs to be fast, specific, and unambiguous. Anything less feeds the story.
A Pattern of Controversial Statements
The 2019 post is not the only issue. Chevalier previously called President Barack Obama “evil.” Mayor Mamdani acknowledged she apologized for that remark. She has also posted sympathetic references to communism, Marxism, and Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin on her now-deleted Twitter account. At a Broadway Democrats endorsement meeting, she refused to condemn Hamas or the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, instead turning the question into a criticism of Israel. The group declined to endorse her, calling it “not a close call.”
Chevalier walked out of a live Fox News interview when confronted with her old social media posts. That move did not help her. Walking out of a tough interview tells voters you are not ready to defend your record. A candidate heading to Congress needs to answer hard questions, not flee them. Her supporters point to her grassroots background as a community organizer and public defender investigator. Those are real credentials. But credentials do not erase a paper trail.
Mamdani’s Endorsement Puts Him in the Frame Too
Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed Chevalier as part of a broader push to elect socialist-aligned candidates to Congress. Chevalier led field operations for his mayoral campaign before running herself. When the Duke story broke, Mamdani was already on record acknowledging her past remarks and saying she had apologized. That answer is thin. Saying someone apologized is not the same as explaining why you still stand behind them after a former Klan leader calls to express admiration for their racial views.
Presumptive Democratic congresswoman Darializa Avila Chevalier's opposition to interracial relationships has earned her words of approval from a surprising source—David Duke
The former KKK grand wizard said he agreed with her desire to keep the bloodlines pure…
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) July 2, 2026
Chevalier won the Democratic primary over incumbent Espaillat, which means she is now the likely next congresswoman from New York’s 13th Congressional District. Research published in the American Political Science Review found that nominating an extremist candidate cuts a party’s share of general-election fundraising by 7 percentage points on average — and up to 18 to 19 points in the starkest ideological contrasts. Democrats who think the Duke story will fade before November are making a very costly bet.
What the Facts Actually Show
Chevalier’s defenders argue the Free Beacon and Fox News are motivated critics, that AIPAC is spending millions against her, and that her past posts are being stripped of context. Those are fair points to raise. But the core facts are not seriously disputed. The post existed. Duke called a reporter, unprompted, to praise it. Chevalier refused to condemn Hamas in a room full of Democrats. She called a former Democratic president “evil.” These are not smears invented by opponents. They are a documented record.
From a common-sense standpoint, a candidate whose racial views earn a phone call of praise from America’s most famous white supremacist has a serious problem — regardless of intent, context, or apology. The Democratic Party’s refusal to formally disavow her only deepens the damage. Voters in competitive districts across the country will see this story. Some will draw their own conclusions about what the party actually stands for.
Sources:
facebook.com, freebeacon.com, en.wikipedia.org, foxnews.com, instagram.com
