Campaign board fines Andrew Cuomo $675,000; awards rival Adrienne Adams millions
NEW YORK — New York City mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams on Friday qualified for $2.4 million in public matching funds Friday, while front-runner Andrew Cuomo was hit with a $675,000 penalty for improperly coordinating with a super PAC.
The news out of the New York City Campaign Finance Board meeting was critical for Adams, whose late entrance into the race has been hampered by her low name recognition and insufficient funds. She's the only major candidate in the race yet to air TV ads ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary.
As of last week, Adams had raised $521,000 and transferred $219,000 from a previous campaign account. She'd spent $445,528, leaving her with just $293,994 — not nearly enough to air ads. Friday's cash infusion gives her the funds necessary to do so.
The board meanwhile fined the former governor for the second time this campaign cycle, charging that his campaign improperly coordinated with a super PAC backing him.
The board fined Cuomo $622,056 two weeks ago over a commercial the PAC aired on Cuomo's behalf, which the board suspected was created via improper coordination with the campaign.
On Friday, board member Richard Davis noted the PAC, Fix the City, spent a further $675,000 to continue airing the ad in question even after the first penalty. As a result, the board withheld that amount in public funds from the Cuomo team and also counted it against his spending cap — another embarrassing setback for a candidate running on his management bona fides.
'The board will continue to investigate the issue,' he said.
The CFB's decision brings the total fines levied against Cuomo's campaign for improper coordination to around $1.3 million, a significant sum that will hamper his ability to run a fully functional campaign.
Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi disputed the board's findings and maintained the campaign has had no improper contact with Fix the City.
'We look forward to making that clear and receiving the full matching funds to which the campaign is entitled,' he said in a statement.
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