Former Gov. Cuomo’s chances for NYC mayor in financial limbo
In this DML Report…
Andrew Cuomo, a leading candidate in the 2025 New York City mayoral race, was denied $4 million in public campaign matching funds by the NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB). The CFB cited concerns over donations linked to a super PAC, specifically pointing to a $250,000 contribution from billionaire Bill Ackman to a pro-Cuomo PAC, which raised questions about coordination between the campaign and independent groups. This decision came despite Cuomo’s campaign expecting $2.7 million in public funds last month, based on raising $1.5 million from 2,800 donors in just 13 days, as reported in March 2025 finance filings.
The denial adds scrutiny to Cuomo’s campaign, already navigating past controversies including sexual harassment allegations and his handling of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opponents, including a group renamed “Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor,” have seized on the CFB’s decision to challenge his eligibility, with some calling for his disqualification from the June 24 Democratic primary. Other candidates like Zohran Mamdani, who raised $840,000 and reached the spending cap of $7.9 million, and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who raised $128,000, qualified for matching funds, intensifying the race as incumbent Mayor Eric Adams also struggles, having raised only $36,000 in the past two months amid a federal corruption indictment.
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Cuomo’s campaign has not yet commented on the CFB’s ruling, but the former governor remains a frontrunner in polls, with a March 2025 Quinnipiac survey showing him at 31% support among Democratic primary voters, compared to Adams at 11%. The CFB’s move could shift the race’s dynamics, as matching funds are critical for candidates to compete in NYC’s expensive media market. With the primary approaching, the focus on campaign finance violations may further complicate Cuomo’s bid to reclaim political power after resigning as governor in 2021.