Latest news with #NewYorkCityCampaignFinanceBoard
New York Post
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Andrew Cuomo NYC mayoral campaign dealt another blow, loses out on $1.3M total over off-limits ad from PAC
Andrew Cuomo was dealt another blow by the city's campaign finance watchdog, which dinged him another $675,000 Friday over suspicions his mayoral campaign improperly coordinated with a super PAC. The New York City Campaign Finance Board has now denied the former governor a total of $1.3 million in public matching funds — which could hamper the frontrunner as the June 24 Democratic primary approaches and surging socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani nips at his heels. The ex-gov first lost out on around $622,000 in matching funds last month when the CBC said it believed a TV ad was created by 'Fix the City' — the super PAC supporting his candidacy — in coordination with his campaign. Advertisement But the PAC continued to run the potentially off-limits ad, leading to the latest sanctions. 'Shortly after (the last CFB meeting), Fix the City reported spending an additional $675,419.75 to continue airing the same ad,' said board member Richard Davis at the Friday morning meeting. 3 Former Governor Andrew Cuomo lost out on 675K, In the latest round of matching funds. Facebook/Andrew Cuomo Advertisement 'The board continued an investigation on this matter and, based on the findings thus far, continues to believe that the expenditure was not independent of the Cuomo campaign,' he said. The board also opted to dock that money from Cuomo's spending cap — reducing the amount he's able to spend on his own campaign advertisements to around $6.7 million from nearly $8 million. The limitation comes at possibly the worst time for Cuomo's political comeback bid, with just over three weeks to go to the primary, and Mamdani closing the gap between the two to single digits, according to a PIX11/Emerson poll this week. A source close to the thrice-elected Democratic gov's team told The Post the campaign's goal has been to 'survive' the primary by banking on Cuomo's name recognition, rather than try to mobilize a new voter base like some of the lefty candidates. Advertisement 3 Former Governor Andrew Cuomo's lead in the primary has been decreasing according to recent polls. Robert Miller Cuomo will still receive $1.3 million in matching funds, bringing his campaign total to around $7.3 million, according to his team. At the same time, Mamdani, who hit his fundraising max in March, has roughly $4.5 million on hand as the primary hits the final stretch. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who had yet to qualify for the city's generous one-to-eight matching funds program, received the highest payout Friday, bringing in over $2 million for her campaign. Advertisement The payment is a much-needed injection of cash into the speaker's campaign that has been handicapped by her late entry into the crowded field of Democrats, where she has so far failed to break out. 3 the ad by 'Fix the City' was found to have not operated independently from Cuomo's campaign. Fix The City Fellow mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie, who initially sounded the alarm on the allegedly coordinated Cuomo ad to CFB officials last month, lauded the board's move Friday. 'I applaud the Campaign Finance Board for heeding my calls to investigate Andrew Cuomo's campaign finances, and fining him for breaking the rules. While this news is troubling, it is not surprising,' the state senator said of the continued probe in a statement. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo's camp, slammed the 'unfounded position' of the board and brushed off any suggestion of financial concerns. 'We look forward to making that clear and receiving the full matching funds to which the campaign is entitled. In the meantime, our campaign's momentum continues unabated.'
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Cuomo Loses Another $675,000 Over Suspected Super PAC Coordination
Andrew M. Cuomo was denied another $675,000 in public matching funds on Friday, as the New York City Campaign Finance Board said it continued to believe his mayoral campaign had illicitly coordinated with a super PAC. The penalty was yet another avoidable setback for Mr. Cuomo. He has now been penalized nearly $1.3 million in total, a significant loss of public funds that could have been spent in the final weeks before the June 24 Democratic primary. The sanction came as the board doled out the final tranche of matching funds before early voting began in roughly two weeks. Public polling shows that Mr. Cuomo, the former governor of New York who resigned in scandal in 2021, continues to lead, with a handful of more liberal alternatives vying to prevent his return to office. Several of them were awarded with hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching funds on Friday, multiplying what they had raised in private contributions. The most notable recipient was Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker and a late entrant into the race, who had yet to qualify for matching funds. Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is polling second behind Mr. Cuomo and has already reached the city's maximum funding limit, had urged his supporters to contribute to Ms. Adams's campaign to help her meet the funding threshold. She walked away on Friday with $2 million, an infusion large enough to stage a television ad campaign before Primary Day. 'With these funds, the campaign anticipates an aggressive, on-the-ground and over-the-airwaves blitz in the final stretch, as momentum continues to build for Adrienne's effective leadership,' said Lupe Todd-Medina, her spokeswoman. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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.
Politico
4 days ago
- Business
- Politico
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.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Adams sues NYC Finance Board over denial of $3.4 million in matching funds
Mayor Eric Adams took the New York City Campaign Finance Board to court Tuesday in hopes of reversing its decision to deny him $3.4 million in matching funds for his independent reelection campaign. The mayor's legal team argued in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn that the board should not withhold the green from Adams over its suspicion he's a campaign finance crook because the federal indictment — where its mistrust stems from — has been dismissed. An Adams campaign spokesperson told The Post the board's interpretation of the rules has 'created unfair obstacles' for the mayor. 'This case is about protecting the integrity of the electoral process and ensuring that all candidates can compete on a level playing field without facing arbitrary restrictions,' the spokesperson said. The finance board has denied Adams' request for matching funds four times, dating back to last year, arguing there is reason to believe he has engaged in 'conduct detrimental' to the program by citing the historic indictment. Among the federal charges Adams faced were soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals and conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals. But the case was tossed for good in April after President Trump's Department of Justice controversially moved to end the prosecution. Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case permanently 'with prejudice,' noting his ruling was not based on the merits, but done so the White House couldn't hold the charges over Adams' head. 'If the CFB has any evidence beyond the indictment, it would have relied on that evidence publicly to support its determination because of its stated commitment to transparency,' lawyer Robert Spolzino argued in the Tuesday suit, first reported by Politico. 'The CFB's failure to cite any evidence to support its determination other than the indictment establishes that the CFB has no other such evidence.' The CFB has also at times argued Adams' failure to submit certain information has prevented him from getting the funds, though the lawsuit claimed Tuesday that his campaign has since submitted the paperwork. Spolzino went on to claim the CFB's decision 'sets a dangerous precedent, empowering the CFB to sit as judge, jury, and executioner based on allegations and press reports, not evidence.' The board declined to comment on the legal action Tuesday night. Adams decided in April to forgo the Democratic primary and instead run as an independent amid poor polling. He's raised $4.5 million in total for his re-election bid and has $2.7 million in hand. The next chance for Adams to get matching funds is July.
