Eight Dominicans Run for Office in U.S. Midterm Elections

Eight candidates of Dominican origin are seeking seats in the November 3 elections. One contender could become the first Dominican-American woman in Congress.

Eight people of Dominican origin are among the candidates closely watched in the U.S. midterm elections, scheduled for November 3. That day, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be renewed, along with a third of the Senate and numerous state and local offices.

The list includes lawmakers seeking to renew their terms, challengers attempting to reach Congress for the first time, and leaders tied to municipal politics in New York. Among the federal candidacies, Darializa Ávila Chevalier, who is running for New York's 13th congressional district, and Tonty Enmanuel "Manny" Rutinel, a Democrat running in Colorado's 8th district, stand out.

Ávila Chevalier, 32, was born and raised in Florida and moved to New York as a teenager. She has a background in community organizing, research linked to public defense, and doctoral studies. She won the Democratic primary against Representative Adriano Espaillat, who was seeking a sixth term. Her campaign focuses on affordable housing, tenant protections, health care, and immigration policy. If she wins in November, she could become the first woman of Dominican descent elected to the federal Congress.

Rutinel, the son of a Dominican immigrant, served in the Colorado House of Representatives. He is trained as a lawyer and economist. He now faces Republican Gabe Evans, who is seeking to keep the seat. The race is significant because its outcome could influence the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

In New York, Manny De Los Santos is seeking to remain as representative of District 72 in the State Assembly, which covers Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill, neighborhoods in Upper Manhattan with a long-standing Dominican presence. A Democrat with the backing of the Working Families Party, he seeks to hold onto that seat.