Dominican-Descent Democrats Win Three House Races
Darializa Ávila Chevalier, Analilia Mejía and Manny Rutinel each won congressional contests in Tuesday's elections, with Rutinel flipping a Colorado seat.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Three Democratic politicians of Dominican descent won U.S. congressional races in elections held Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Manny Rutinel flipped Colorado's 8th District from Republican to Democratic control, while Darializa Ávila Chevalier and Analilia Mejía won seats in New York's 13th and New Jersey's 11th districts.
Why it matters
The wins add Dominican-American representation in Congress and shift one Colorado district's partisan control. The New York and New Jersey seats remain under Democratic control, with Mejía succeeding a Democrat in New Jersey's 11th District.
Ávila Chevalier won 87.5% of the vote in New York's 13th District, Mejía took 60.2% in New Jersey's 11th, and Rutinel captured 55.5% in Colorado's 8th. The source does not report turnout totals or any pending legal challenges to the results.
The players
Darializa Ávila Chevalier
Democratic politician of Dominican descent who won New York's 13th Congressional District after defeating Representative Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary.
Analilia Mejía
Democratic politician of Dominican descent who won New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, succeeding a Democrat in the seat.
Manny Rutinel
Democratic politician of Dominican descent who won Colorado's 8th Congressional District, flipping it from Republican control.
The details
Ávila Chevalier previously defeated incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary before winning the general election in New York's 13th District. In Colorado's 8th District, Rutinel's victory over Republican Evans flipped the seat from Republican to Democratic control, with Wood receiving 3.7%.
Timeline
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Congressional elections held, with all three races decided.
Political Context
Rutinel's flip of Colorado's 8th District reverses the seat's Republican control and places it under Democratic representation for the first time in this election. The New York and New Jersey wins keep those seats in Democratic hands while expanding Dominican-American representation in the House.
Residents of Colorado's 8th District now have a Democratic representative in Congress, changing the partisan makeup of their federal delegation. Voters in New York's 13th and New Jersey's 11th districts retain Democratic representation under the new members.
The takeaway
Three new Dominican-descent members of Congress were elected in a single election, and one Colorado seat changed party control. Watch for how these representatives approach issues affecting their districts once seated.
Further reading
Explore more on Elections coverage for context on congressional races nationwide.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dominicantoday.
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