It’s bizarre that a terrorist-loving, America-hating Florida grad student is a top contender for a New York City House seat, but Darializa Avila Chevalier’s success exposes how flabby, complacent and value-free the mainstream local Democratic Party has grown in its uncompetitive echo chamber.

Why is Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s campaign floundering, when by usual measures he’s done everything right?

A reliable progressive and go-along pol, one who smoothly plays the game of urban ethnopolitics, usually has no trouble holding on to his seat for decades.

Instead, Espaillat may lose to a woman who believes Hamas did nothing wrong on Oct. 7, who brags of using the American flag to wipe herself with and who curses black or Arab men who “fetishize ugly colonizer women,” meaning white ones.

The problem is that Espaillat is a classic Democratic “machine” operative when the Democrats long ago gave up true machine politics in the sense of appealing to and providing for a base of popular support.

Instead, urban Dems chose an easier path, become the tools of public sector unions and government-funded nonprofits.

They shovel public money at these interests and bend government power to their benefit; in exchange, those machines provide the endorsements and support that wins election after election.

But mercenaries have no loyalty: These interests will play ball with whoever’s in power.

Which leaves the modern Dem machine no loyalists at all beyond the much-diminished ranks of clubhouse hacks.

Espaillat and his ilk stand for nothing except blaming Republicans and President Donald Trump for everything, which should work great in a district that runs +50 points blue.

But if you never face serious competition, you forget how to compete; you get fat and lazy.

And when you follow the principle of “no enemies to the left,” how do you respond when a new, disciplined political movement runs a farther-left carpetbagger who calls you a sellout and promises to really fight those bad guys?

That’s what Avila Chevalier did, and all Espaillat can say is, “But I’m a leftist too!”

Which is true. The former illegal alien wants to abolish ICE, open the borders and defund the police as much as the next guy.

But in today’s climate, it’s easy to step up and accuse incumbents of accommodating fascism just for nodding hello to more-moderate colleagues.

Espaillat counted on his Democratic credentials to take the place of having values, paying attention or maintaining a working popular base.

We have no love for Espaillat or his record, except that he’s not frothing-at-the-mouth insane.

But New York City Democratic politics long ago cut anchor to let prevailing winds from the left steer the course.

Now veteran pols like Espaillat are left to reap that wind.