Dominican-American Candidates Seek Bigger Role in Pivotal U.S. Midterms
Three candidates of Dominican descent are running for federal seats in New York, Colorado and New Jersey on November 3, in a vote that will decide control of Congress.
Key points
- Darializa Ávila Chevalier is seeking to succeed Adriano Espaillat in New York's 13th District.
- Manny Rutinel is trying to flip Colorado's 8th District from Republican control.
- Analilia Mejía is seeking a full term in New Jersey after reaching Congress in a special election.
- At stake are all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats.
Dominican-American voters and candidates will face a key test on November 3, when members of the community compete for federal and state offices. The results will determine control of Congress and how much room President Donald Trump has to act during the last two years of his term.
The races differ in important ways. Darializa Ávila Chevalier, 32, of Dominican descent, won the Democratic primary in June for New York's 13th District, defeating incumbent Adriano Espaillat, who has held the seat since 2017. Her campaign marks a generational change in a area with a large Dominican population, covering parts of Upper Manhattan and the northwest Bronx. If elected, she would be the first woman to represent the district.
In Colorado, Manny Rutinel, son of a Dominican immigrant, is running for the 8th District against Republican Gabe Evans. Rutinel won the Democratic primary in June and hopes to move from state politics to the U.S. House. The district is highly competitive: Evans won in 2024 with 49% of the vote, compared with 48.2% for Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo. A Rutinel victory would return the seat to Democrats.
Congresswoman Analilia Mejía, of Dominican and Colombian roots, is also part of this landscape, seeking a full term in New Jersey after first reaching Congress through a special election.
These federal bids run alongside those of Dominican-origin lawmakers seeking to remain in the New York State Assembly, and Josh Taveras's run for the state Senate. Although all will be decided the same day, they involve institutions with different powers.
The midterms will decide all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats, along with governorships and state and local offices. Republicans currently control both chambers, so a Democratic win in either would shift the balance in Washington and give the opposition more power to scrutinize the government and shape its legislative and budget agenda.
Why it matters
If Democrats win one of the chambers, they would have more power to oversee the Trump administration. For Dominicans in the U.S., greater congressional representation means a stronger voice on issues like immigration and housing.