Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was denied more than $600,000 in public matching funds on Monday after the New York City Campaign Finance Board found that he likely engaged in illicit coordination with a super PAC supporting his campaign for mayor.
Mr. Cuomo first aroused suspicion when he posted on his campaign website what looked to be a set of detailed spending instructions for anyone hoping to help. The super PAC, Fix the City, began airing an ad just days later that appeared to align with some of those requests, echoing themes and data points.
The tactic in question, known as red-boxing, has become common in federal races as a way to circumvent anti-coordination rules. But the New York City campaign finance board has explicitly warned against it.
Mr. Cuomo still received $1.5 million in public matching funds, though he had theoretically qualified for $2.1 million. But the board decided to withhold $622,056 — the amount that the super PAC paid for the ad — because it said there was “reason to believe” that the television commercial was “not independent of the Cuomo campaign.”
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said in a statement that the campaign would work to resolve the issue with the board.
“Our campaign has operated in full compliance with the campaign finance laws and rules, and everything on our website was reviewed and approved by our legal team in advance of publication,” he said, adding that other candidates had published similar information online. “We look forward to making that clear when we respond to the board’s preliminary ruling and receiving the full matching funds to which the campaign is entitled.”
Mr. Cuomo leads in polls in the volatile mayor’s race just six weeks ahead of the June 24 primary. Fix the City, which is being run by a longtime Cuomo loyalist who was once his right-hand man, has raised more than $7 million.
Mr. Cuomo is running on a message of competence, but his campaign has made a series of mistakes. He was initially denied public matching funds last month. His campaign said that there had been a “technical software error” that would be resolved quickly.
Then, not long after Mr. Cuomo’s campaign posted information on his website that appeared to be aimed at the super PAC, the Campaign Finance Board sent a warning to every city campaign about new rules limiting cooperation. Mr. Cuomo subsequently took down the web page containing the instructions late last week.
A spokeswoman for Fix the City, which has defended its independence, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zellnor Myrie, a Democratic mayoral candidate who called for an investigation into Mr. Cuomo’s red box last week, said the conduct was consistent with earlier episodes in which Mr. Cuomo pushed the bounds of campaign finance or other ethics rules.
“As Donald Trump repeatedly undermines our judicial system, Democrats need a leader in City Hall who exemplifies integrity and will uphold the rule of law,” Mr. Myrie said. “Not one who skirts the law for personal gain.”
The board on Monday also voted to continue withholding millions of dollars in matching funds from Mayor Eric Adams over concerns about the fund-raising practices outlined in the federal corruption case against him. Even after the charges were dropped under pressure from the Trump administration, the campaign finance board has withheld the funds.
