Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist challenger to Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District, is under fresh scrutiny after a report in the New York Post linked money circulating around her campaign to donors tied to firms whose technology has been used to monitor protests and to power immigration-enforcement systems. In a district where protest organizing and immigration policy are front-burner issues, the disclosures could complicate Chevalier’s pitch to progressive voters. With the June 23 primary less than seven weeks away, the revelations hand Espaillat and his allies a new line of attack in what has become a high-profile neighborhood brawl.
According to the New York Post, one of the figures in the money trail is Rami Sarafa, described as the CEO of Cordoba Advisory Partners. Sarafa is reported to have donated $10,000 to the pro-mayor super PAC New Yorkers for Lower Costs. The same story names Aidan Duffy, identified as a Palantir engineer, as having made a roughly $150 contribution. Public filings cited by the Post also show a $1,500 contribution tied to Chevalier’s campaign committee, and the campaign is said to have released an internal poll showing her trailing Espaillat 42 percent to 28 percent. The Post notes that Chevalier’s team did not immediately provide a statement in response.
Why Those Company Ties Hit a Nerve
Dataminr has drawn criticism for providing real-time social media alerts to law enforcement during mass protests, reporting that was documented by The Intercept. Palantir, a long-time government contractor, was reported to have been paid to build an “ImmigrationOS” platform for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a system critics say could streamline targeting and deportations, as WIRED detailed. Activists who already worry about protest surveillance and aggressive immigration enforcement say that contributions tracing back to people connected with those firms raise uncomfortable questions for candidates running on an uncompromising left-wing platform.
Where the Race Stands Now
Chevalier, a Harlem-based public-defense investigator backed by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and Justice Democrats, has mounted an insurgent campaign that raised roughly $402,878 through March 31, 2026, according to FEC records. Coverage in City & State has highlighted how national and local progressive groups are targeting Espaillat in New York’s 13th District.
Espaillat, a five-term congressman with deep ties to labor groups and state leaders, is still viewed as the favorite in the district that covers much of Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 23, 2026, a date listed on local election calendars, and the calendar is getting tight for any challenger hoping to close a double-digit polling gap.
Campaign Reaction And What To Watch
When contacted about the Post’s reporting, Chevalier’s campaign “had no immediate comment,” the New York Post reports. Espaillat’s supporters are quick to point to his union endorsements and long record in Washington as reasons for voters to stick with the incumbent, framing the choice as steady experience versus an untested newcomer.
Local progressive organizers, meanwhile, say the flap over donors with ties, even indirect ones, to surveillance and enforcement technology will test how much voters care about where every dollar of campaign cash comes from. Both campaigns are expected to keep pressing the issue, and turnout operations are widely seen as a key deciding factor as the June primary approaches.
Voters in Harlem, Washington Heights and the Bronx will ultimately decide how much those trade-offs matter when they head to the ballot box. Until then, the episode is likely to sharpen scrutiny of who funds local campaigns, and how donors’ industry ties stack up against the lofty ideals candidates put on their mailers and microphones.
