New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams received more than $2 million in matching funds Friday, giving her mayoral campaign a vital infusion of cash that arrived in part thanks to one of her opponents.
Adams’ campaign had previously struggled to meet thresholds for matching funds, which include at least $250,000 in qualified donations from at least 1,000 city donors. On May 18, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani – who is catching up to front-runner Andrew Cuomo in the polls for the upcoming Democratic mayoral primary – urged his supporters to donate to Adams.
The next day, campaign filings show Adams’ campaign brought in $72,109 in matching claims. That amount was the best day of fundraising she had so far, according to the most recent public disclosures.
Political observers widely interpreted Mamdani’s move as an attempt to weaken Cuomo in the ranked-choice primary that allows candidates to team up with each other.
Adams and Cuomo are both courting moderate Black voters. Adams has attacked Cuomo’s leadership, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s vowed to bring a steady, experienced hand to City Hall focused on the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
Mamdani was the first candidate to max out the amount of public funds he could raise and spend for the Democratic primary. His campaign has distinguished itself through an aggressive grassroots strategy that has produced more than 20,000 contributions at an average $83. His pitch to voters aims at mitigating the affordability crisis through proposals like freezing the rent for rent-stabilized tenants, free buses and municipal grocery stores.
“Defeating Andrew Cuomo’s cynical and corrupt campaign requires strong candidates who care deeply about our city. Speaker Adams is certainly one of them, and we’re delighted some of our donors answered Zohran’s call to contribute to her as well,” said Andrew Epstein, a spokesperson for Mamdani’s campaign.
In addition to slow fundraising, Adams previously had trouble managing the paperwork required to unlock the city’s generous $8-to-$1 public match.
In her most recent filing, for the fundraising period from March 14-May 19, Adams submitted an additional $217,000 in matching claims, for a total $291,457, a potential cushion of $41,457 above the required amount.
“The support of New Yorkers in such a short window is a clear sign of the energy and enthusiasm behind Adrienne’s campaign,” spokesperson Lupe Todd-Medina said. “Adrienne is in it for us.”
In another development, the Campaign Finance Board said it is continuing to investigate alleged improper coordination between Cuomo’s mayoral campaign and the Fix the City super PAC.
At the last meeting, the board withheld $622,000 from Cuomo’s campaign because the campaign watchdog did not believe an ad produced by the PAC was made independently from the campaign. After the meeting, the committee spent another $675,000 on the same ad.
Cuomo has remained the dominant force in the race, pledging to set a city in crisis back on the right track. He’s leaned into his ability to complete major capital projects like the new Moynihan Station, the LaGuardia Airport remake and the Second Avenue Subway.
On Friday, the board decided to withhold another $675,000 from Cuomo’s campaign, bringing the total withheld to nearly $1.3 million. The board said that amount will also count toward the campaign’s spending limit for the primary, which is $7.9 million. So far, the Cuomo campaign has spent nearly $2 million.
“Today’s preliminary ruling is a continuation of their same unfounded position on the independent ad — our campaign has operated in full compliance with the campaign finance laws and rules,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said.
Liam Quigley contributed reporting.
