NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams appears to be all in on his longshot reelection bid, while Democratic frontrunner Andrew Cuomo has pulled in a substantial amount of cash, per campaign finance reports released Friday night.
Since mid-March, the beleaguered mayor reported raising $155,134 from 183 donors, bringing his total haul to $4.6 million. He’s spent $1.8 million, leaving $2.7 million in his warchest. His contributions over the last few months did not exceed $2,100 — the cap for anyone applying for public matching funds — suggesting Adams will continue to fight for millions of dollars that the city Campaign Finance Board has repeatedly denied him over the last five months. The board has cited his federal case and paperwork improprieties in making its decision.
Adams is appealing the denial and considering legal action.
He paid more than $20,000 to the state Democratic Party for a voter file list, reimbursed several organizations that gathered signatures for him to get on the ballot, and held fundraisers at restaurants and the law firm of King & Spalding, where his first deputy mayor had been a partner. He also forked over $10,000 to fundraiser Brianna Suggs, whose home was raided in November 2023 as part of a now-defunct federal bribery case against the mayor. He’s paid Suggs a total of $460,160 out of his reelection account.
“Let there be no doubt: Mayor Eric Adams is running for re-election, and he’s running full speed ahead,” campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement. “The latest filing makes it crystal clear — this campaign is alive, aggressive and already laying the groundwork for victory.”
Adams, a registered Democrat, opted out of his party’s June 24 primary after a judge dismissed that case at the behest of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice. He’s instead running as an independent in November, putting him on path to face Cuomo if the ex-governor wins the primary. He’s leading every public poll by a healthy margin.
The mayor’s polling approval rating is cripplingly low — likely a function of high voter dissatisfaction with quality of life in the city, and his warmth toward the Republican president. But his team anticipates improving his standing over the next few months.
Like Cuomo, Adams is placing a heavy emphasis on combating antisemitism, even floating a ballot line paying homage to it.
Meanwhile Cuomo has raised $3.9 million and spent $1.9 million since entering the race in March, his campaign filing shows. With public matching funds, he’s got $3.5 million left as he battles the board for $622,000 it withheld as it probes whether he coordinated with a super PAC backing him. That PAC, Fix the City, has raised more than $9 million since forming in March — including donations from wealthy Trump supporters as well as companies regulated by the city, like DoorDash. The group has spent $7.5 million on TV ads, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.
Cuomo’s top bundler was investor Mitchell Moinian who raised $154,500. He collected donations from people in the real estate, fashion, entertainment and finance industries. Nick Spano — a Republican former state senator who pleaded guilty to tax evasion and is now a lobbyist with the firm Empire Strategic Planning — raised $117,450.
Commercial real estate broker MaryAnne Gilmartin bundled $63,660, while Eric Gertler, a former economic development official in Cuomo’s gubernatorial administration and the CEO of US News & World Report, raised $61,655. Longtime Cuomo ally and PR guru Ken Sunshine raised $36,850.
Two influential unions that endorsed Cuomo — 32BJ SEIU and 1199SEIU — contributed $2,100 each through their PACs. The donation from 1199, which represents health care workers, was recorded on May 8, three days after longtime president George Gresham was ousted. The District Council of Carpenters also gave to Cuomo; campaign advisor Kevin Elkins serves as the union’s political director.
Emma Bloomberg, the daughter of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, gave Cuomo $2,100 as did the ex-governor’s brother-in-law, fashion designer Kenneth Cole.
Cuomo paid $79,000 to lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs, which employs campaign advisers Charlie King, Jake Dilemani and Edu Hermelyn and finance director Jennifer Bayer Michaels.
Democratic candidates were all waiting for the filing of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a late entrant to the race who has received the backing of Attorney General Letitia James and the city’s largest public-sector union. Adams — no relation to the mayor — said she qualified for matching funds, though the board will be the arbiter of that next week.
She has pulled in $520,627 and spent $445,528 since jumping in in March. With a transfer from a previous committee, she has nearly $293,994 on hand. Her fiscal disadvantage has prevented her from airing TV ads, a near necessity in what is expected to be a low-turnout race.
“Our dollars raised in such a short time indicate that New Yorkers of all stripes want to turn the page from the drama of the past few years,” the legislative leader said in a statement.
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who was the first candidate to max out on fundraising, advised his fervent followers to give to Adrienne Adams in a social media video this week. He has begun running ads and has $4.5 million left in the bank as he tries over the next few weeks to further eat into Cuomo’s lead.
Former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who are polling in single digits, have $2.8 million and $418,535 in the bank, respectively.
City Comptroller Brad Lander has spent the most of any Democratic candidate so far — $4.7 million and counting — and has $1.6 million on hand for the final sprint. He has been polling in third or fourth place, and — like Mamdani — is hoping for the backing of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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