Bill Maher savages Big Apple congressional candidate as 'patient zero of the woke mind virus'

Published: 01:58, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 02:15, 29 June 2026 Bill Maher has launched a blistering attack on New York Democratic congressional nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier, branding the democratic socialist 'patient zero' of what he dubbed the 'woke mind virus', during a fiery segment on HBO’s 'Real Time'. The veteran comedian and political commentator used his latest monologue on June 26, to torch what he described as the growing influence of far-left ideology within the Democratic Party. 'There’s one candidate, she will be a congresswoman from New York’s 13th District, who the New York Times asked her if someone murders someone randomly, should they go to jail? Couldn’t get her to say yes to that,' Maher delivered.  Maher slated Avila Chevalier, arguing her platform represents a radicalistic movement increasingly disconnected from mainstream American voters. 'She says, No more police ever, at all, ever. She says our veterans are war criminals. She said f–k Kamala Harris and Joe Biden’s a rapist,' the host said. Maher’s scathing remarks came just days after the democratic socialist stunned New York politics by defeating five-term incumbent Congressman Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary for the state’s 13th Congressional District. Avila Chevalier had run on a platform that includes Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, major housing reforms and sweeping criminal justice changes.  She received backing from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and several progressive organizations during the campaign.  Comedian and TV host Bill Mahler bashed congressional candidate Avila Chevalier on air and said he may have to rethink his vote if the Democratic Party continues it's left wing surge The comedian's fiery rant follows Avila Chevalier's recent triumph over congressman Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary for the state’s 13th Congressional District The political newcomer was bulldozed by Mahler, as he dissected her political stances and prior controversial social media posts on air Yet, in the months leading up to the primary election, the 32-year-old political newcomer faced a barrage of negative ads, with racist attacks and accusations that she was lying about her Dominican identity. During her victory speech, at a popular Puerto Rican restaurant uptown, Avila Chevalier called the result 'a new dawn' for her district. However, the race result has become the latest flashpoint in the Democratic Party’s growing ideological divide and reignited concern over the future direction of the party. Maher’s sharpest criticism centered on an interview in which Avila Chevalier was repeatedly asked whether someone who commits a random murder should go to prison. He emphasized that her reluctance to provide a straightforward answer reflected what he sees as the excesses of modern progressive politics. 'So, there is a woke mind virus,' Maher told his audience. 'And I think we found patient zero.' The veteran broadcaster went on to criticize several of the candidate’s past positions and social media posts prior to her victory, highlighting her support for abolishing prisons, police and borders, along with previous remarks describing America as 'occupied Native land.'  In some of the posts, she praised communism — and boasted about wiping her dirty hands on the American flag because she couldn’t find a napkin. Avila Chevalier previously branded white woman as 'ugly colonizers' as she spewed hatred towards interracial marriages An image of the congressional candidate at Palestinian solidarity campus protests and encampments at Columbia University in 2024 Mahler highlighted his own political position, as a strong advocator of the Democratic party's belief system, but posed that his support was wavering as a result of the radical lean Avila Chevalier has also previously faced scrutiny over her rhetoric concerning Israel.  According to Camera, as a Columbia University student in 2014, Avila Chevalier  helped raise bail money for convicted terrorist Rasmea Odeh, who participated in plotting a terror attack that killed two collage students in a Jerusalem supermarket bombing. Maher said the combination of those positions illustrated how far sections of the Democratic Party have moved from mainstream liberal politics. The remarks add to a growing chorus of criticism from prominent Democrats and liberal commentators following Avila Chevalier’s upset victory. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has also condemned the party’s leftward shift, arguing that candidates espousing such views should not represent the Democratic Party.  Meanwhile, Maher has increasingly voiced concern that the party is alienating moderate voters, even suggesting during a recent interview with Vice President JD Vance that his own vote in 2028 is 'in play.' 'If this is where the Democratic Party is going — this obsession with Israel, with the Jew-hating, they don’t believe in capitalism, no prisons. If this is where they’re going, my vote is in play,” Maher told the veep.  'Every year, I don’t make my decision by who has an R or a D. I actually always came to the conclusion that the Democrat was probably better and voted for them,' the comedian explained. But he also told Vance that President Trump’s general denial that US elections are fair, is a dealbreaker for him. The Daily Mail has reached out to Avila Chevalier's campaign for comment.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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