It’s a pricey message pushed not by donors to Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral campaign, but from some of his supporters.
The super PAC known as Fix the City, established by Cuomo allies, is breaking records trying to get Cuomo into City Hall.
What You Need To Know
- A super PAC supporting Andrew Cuomo has raised more than $10 million to push his candidacy
- The PAC has raised serious cash from corporations and officials who have business before the city
- The Campaign Finance Board has already accused Cuomo and the PAC of illegal coordination
While there are other — and much smaller — PACs in this election cycle, Fix the City has raised more money than any other committee supporting a candidate for mayor since the Campaign Finance Board started tracking this type of cash.
The latest numbers: nearly $10.8 million. And so far, the campaign has only spent a little more than half of it.
Much of that was spent on pricey television advertising, pushing Cuomo as the only choice in this month’s Democratic primary.
“Every day more and more gigantic donations are piling in at amounts that are hundreds of multiples of what they would be permitted to contribute directly,” said Susan Lerner of the good government group Common Cause New York. “There is basically no daylight between candidate Cuomo and the PAC that’s supposed to be independent.”
The city’s Campaign Finance Board has already accused the Cuomo campaign and Fix the City of illegally coordinating on messaging, which is prohibited by campaign finance rules, and docked the campaign more than $1 million in public matching funds as a result.
“Like the city itself, our donors represent a diverse group that recognizes we are at a critical moment and Andrew Cuomo is the right choice for mayor,” a spokesperson for Fix the City said in a statement to NY1.
Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, said in a statement Cuomo was the candidate for working families, listing his accomplishments as governor like paid family leave.
“This is why he has built the broadest coalition of support of any candidate, why he leads in every poll and why, when he’s mayor, he’s going to get this city back on the right track and make it more affordable and safer for all,” Azzopardi’s statement said in part.
Still, the outside groups are appealing to supporters with larger wallets because they can accept unlimited donations in any amount, unlike candidates who must abide by strict campaign finance laws.
The super PAC has accepted massive donations from some huge names in real estate and business, plenty of which have business before the city and any potential incoming administration.
Among them, DoorDash. The company has the biggest donation to the PAC so far, $1 million.
“In recent years we’ve seen a wave of policies emerge from New York City that, while well-intentioned, have often had unintended consequences. We’re committed to supporting leaders who prioritize practical, pro-local economy solutions. In New York’s mayoral race, we believe Governor Cuomo represents the kind of leadership that can deliver on those goals,” a spokesperson for DoorDash said in a statement to NY1.
“They say this is a super PAC that’s been funded by the same donors who put Donald Trump into the White House,” Zohran Mamdani, one of Cuomo’s top rivals, said.
“Andrew Cuomo is being bankrolled by some of the most extreme flanks of Trump’s MAGA world,” City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander said.
Some contributors to the PAC are Trump supporters. Like longtime Republican donor Ken Langone, the co-founder of Home Depot, who gave $50,000. Langone has more recently criticized Trump over his tariff policy.
Trump supporter Bill Ackman gave $250,000. Ackman had no comment on this story.
Charter Communications, NY1’s parent company, has also contributed $125,000 to the PAC.