Josh Shapiro calls for Democratic Party battle over its direction
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a “State of the Union” interview Sunday that Democrats should face a fight over the direction of the party after New York Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) in their party’s primary.
“I think what our party would have to go through would be very healthy, and something we haven’t really done since the 1992 election cycle would be to have a fight for what we believe in,” Shapiro said. “To have a fight over ideas that we will advocate and campaign for, and then implement them as a way to make people’s lives better.”
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Shapiro what message he got from Democratic voters in New York, who elected three candidates supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who Bash described as “far-left and Democratic socialist candidates.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Democrats needed “a war on what we believe” after socialist-backed candidates won massive primary elections in New York. (Imagn Images via Bill Streicher/Reuters)
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“These were races in individual districts in a completely different state,” Shapiro said. “I think you’re seeing very different looking congressional races here in Pennsylvania and certainly different Democratic candidates.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat said candidates who generate activist enthusiasm now need to show they can govern.
“I think the important thing is that the people who are making a lot of noise, who are engaged in these performative policies, are now figuring out how to deliver results,” Shapiro said.
Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated longtime Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Shapiro said campaign rhetoric wasn’t enough for voters facing economic pressure, health issues and cost of living issues.
“It’s one thing to make platitudes during a campaign,” Shapiro said. “It’s a whole different thing to serve people who are actually suffering.”
When asked specifically about Chevalier, Shapiro made clear that voters in his district made their choice but had little in common with his politics.
Zohran Mamdani endorsed Avila Chevalier as part of a slate of democratic socialist candidates who scored upset victories in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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“His district voted for him, but I have deep differences with that candidate,” Shapiro said. “And he’s not someone I would agree with on a lot of things or who we share similar values with.”
Chevalier defeated Espaillat, DY, after the Associated Press named him the winner of the Democratic primary. With more than 86% of the expected votes counted, Chevalier received 49.4% of the vote to Espaillat’s 45.9%, according to NY1.
The district includes parts of Upper Manhattan, including Harlem, and parts of the Bronx. Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist of America, was one of Mamdani’s endorsed congressional candidates.
After his first win, Chevalier told his supporters that the result was a political turning point for the region.
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“I know that each of us is seeing what I am seeing right now: a new dawn for this region,” Avila Chevalier said. NY1.
The campaign website lists priorities such as “Abolish ICE,” “Babies, Not Bombs,” “Medicare for All,” “Housing for All,” “Quality Education” and “Fighting Corporate Greed.”
Avila Chevalier walked back criticism of past social media posts and said the focus should be on the region’s future.
“My opponent wants to live in the past,” Avila Chevalier told CNN, according to the National News Desk. “I have grown significantly in the years since those tweets and am focused on our community and the future of our community.”
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Shapiro also said Democrats should focus on candidates who can turn campaign promises into results.
“I think as a party we need to find our way toward candidates who can serve people and make their lives better,” Shapiro said. he said.
