Racing to catch up to well-funded rivals, Cuomo raises big in first mayoral filing
NEW YORK — Andrew Cuomo strengthened his frontrunner status in the race to replace embattled Mayor Eric Adams, with $3 million raised on his behalf in two weeks.
He raised half that money from 2,704 donors, and a super PAC formed to support his bid brought in the other half, according to a new public filing and a statement from the political committee.
Donors included Melissa DeRosa, Linda Lacewell, Jeremy Creelan and Ben Lawsky, who worked in the upper ranks of his gubernatorial administration. They were joined by Rita Glavin and Elkan Abramowitz, attorneys who have received state funding to defend Cuomo in sexual harassment and Covid-related scandals that pushed him out of office. He denies wrongdoing in both.
NYU Langone executive Joe Lhota, a deputy mayor for Rudy Giuliani and Cuomo's appointee to chair the MTA, donated $400 — the most someone with business before the city can give.
Cuomo also got a fair amount of support from New York's real estate executives, who generally spread their wealth in competitive mayoral races, as well as bigwigs in the consulting and lobbying sector. Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey, who is informally advising Cuomo, gave $250. Coffey's business partner Shontell Smith is working as political director for Cuomo's campaign. Public relations honcho Ken Sunshine donated $2,100, the maximum contribution allowed.
Movie director Darren Aronofsky, who benefited from New York's film tax break, and Michael Imperioli, who played Cuomo in the Showtime series 'Escape at Dannemora,' also contributed.
What matters now is whether the former governor can maintain this fundraising pace in order to catch up to rivals who have amassed larger warchests and already qualified for the city's public matching funds program. The 8-to-1 match on $250 contributions is all but essential to run a successful campaign, and Cuomo's team said he is on track to qualify by the next time a payment is made on April 15.
The pro-Cuomo super PAC took in $250,000 from RXR Realty's Scott Rechler, $125,000 from cable giant Charter Communications and $100,000 from SkyBridge Capital, the investment firm led by President Donald Trump's short-lived communications director Anthony Scaramucci, according to a spokesperson for the organization.
The political committee, dubbed 'Fix the City,' is not regulated by any contribution ceilings akin to the $2,100 limit on donations to a mayoral account. As a result, it can serve as an outlet for the ex-governor's wealthy donors, some of whom have Republican ties.
Those connections have already become a source of criticism for Cuomo's Democratic rivals vying for votes in an anti-Trump electorate. But the money will nonetheless help amplify Cuomo's message in the crowded field.
The ex-governor wasn't the only candidate with a strong fundraising period.
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani brought in $846,949 from 13,327 donors over the two month filing period — more contributors than the rest of the field combined — which gives the democratic socialist an unrivaled claim to grassroots support.
Mamdani supporters have also formed a super PAC to support him, the Daily News reported, but it hasn't reported any donations yet.
City Comptroller Brad Lander took in $227,867 this period, which ran from Jan. 12 to March 13, and has more than $3.7 million in his account. His predecessor, Scott Stringer, reported just under $3 million on hand, while state Sen. Zellnor Myrie has a balance of just over $2.3 million. They've all qualified for matching funds.
Candidates who participate in the city's matching funds program are all capped at spending $7.9 million in the primary, which takes place June 24.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who just joined the race this month, fell short of qualifying for those public dollars, putting her at a severe monetary disadvantage as she looks to raise money from her national Black sorority network.
As of 6 p.m. Monday, the mayor had not filed with the city Campaign Finance Board, which has denied him over $4 million in matching funds due to his legal problems. His campaign attorney Vito Pitta did not respond to a request for comment.
Investor Whitney Tilson raised $322,803 and loaned his campaign another $25,000 over the last two months. State State Sen. Jessica Ramos continued to struggle with fundraising, bringing in just $70,061 in the period. Ramos hasn't qualified for matching funds and her campaign has a negative balance of $881. Former Assemblymember Michael Blake also fell well short of qualifying for matching funds.
Money alone doesn't guarantee success in a mayoral race. Wall Street executive Ray McGuire raised $12 million, more than any other candidate in the 2021 primary, and finished in seventh place. One-time presidential candidate Andrew Yang raised from the most mayoral donors that year and finished fourth.
'Having viable fundraising is your permission slip to enter the final dance,' said Trip Yang, a Democratic strategist who worked on Andrew Yang's 2021 campaign and now represents Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. 'At this stage in the game, a lot of these candidates don't have a ticket to the dance.'
Nick Reisman and Bill Mahoney contributed reporting.
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