MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have criticized Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) for his response when asked to denounce Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic congressional candidate who made controversial statements about President Joe Biden and Israel.
During an appearance on "Meet the Press," Murphy stated he was "not super familiar" with Avila Chevalier's primary race. He emphasized the need for a "contest of ideas" within the Democratic Party and suggested that the primary threat to the country was not "a handful of House candidates in New York."
Scarborough, in a tweet, accused Democrats of hypocrisy for not taking a stand against the candidate, comparing their response to that of Republicans when confronted with controversial statements from Donald Trump. "Memo to Democrats: Call out crazy even when it’s on your side – especially when it’s on your side," Scarborough wrote.
On "Morning Joe," Brzezinski echoed these sentiments, accusing Murphy of "gaslighting" voters by appearing unfamiliar with the candidate's statements. "Voters are gonna have to decide where the line is, what’s the deal breaker," Brzezinski said. "In this case, I think it’s pretty clear. Some of these statements are complete deal breakers and it’s not hard to say."
Avila Chevalier recently won the Democratic primary for a House seat covering Uptown Manhattan and part of the Bronx, with an endorsement from Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Her past social media posts, made between 2018 and 2022, included derogatory remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris, questioned Israel's right to exist, and advocated for abolishing police, prisons, and borders.
Avila Chevalier has since expressed regret for her posts, stating they caused "a lot of division" during her campaign. Following her primary victory, she told MSNBC's Ali Velshi that she regretted hundreds of social media posts. Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has described a rally Avila Chevalier attended the day after the Hamas attack on Israel, where some attendees reportedly suggested the attack was justified, as "heinous."