A Democratic Socialist candidate running for Congress participated in anti-Israel protests and has received campaign contributions from a firm that uses technology to monitor demonstrations.
Financial records from the Election Commission indicate that Dalializa Avila Chevalier, who aims to challenge the five-term Congressman Adriano Espaillat, accepted a $1,500 donation from Rami Sarafa.
Sarafa is the CEO of Cordova Advisory Partners, a private equity and asset management company.
Cordova has created an investment branch, Datamnr Preferred Secondary LLC, which focuses on acquiring preferred stock in Dataminr, a company that provides AI “risk intelligence” and has been used to monitor Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations of solidarity with Gaza.
Additionally, other investment vehicles under Cordova channel funds into cryptocurrency and blockchain initiatives, such as Blockchain Access VC I LLC.
Moreover, Sarafa also donated $10,000 to The New Yorker, a super PAC that backed Zoran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign last year, and contributed $150 to Mamdani’s campaign directly.
Chevalier’s records further show a $150 contribution from Aidan Duffy, an engineer at Palantir, a company known for its controversial data collection tools used during the Trump administration to gather information on U.S. citizens.
Palantir’s technology is also utilized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine which immigrants should be prioritized for deportation.
So far, there hasn’t been any immediate response from Chevalier’s campaign.
The 13th Congressional District, which Chevalier is contesting, encompasses neighborhoods like Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, and parts of the Bronx.
Espaillat, 71, is seeking a sixth term and has strong connections to the Washington Heights/Inwood area.
However, Chevalier faces serious opposition, bolstered by support from left-leaning organizations like the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and the Justice Democrats.
Recently, her campaign released an internal poll showing her trailing Espaillat by a margin of 42% to 28% as the June 23 Democratic primary approaches.
Espaillat enjoys backing from prominent labor unions and key Democratic figures, including New York’s Attorney General Letitia James.
