NYC Mayor’s Race: Mamdani posts strong general election fundraising haul, while Cuomo and Adams lag behind

Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani continued his strong fundraising performance over the past month, having amassed more than $1 million in private, mostly small contributions since mid-July, according to newly updated filings with the city Campaign Finance Board (CFB) on Friday.

At the same time, independent candidates former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams lagged behind. Cuomo raised roughly half of Mamdani’s haul — $507,660, while Adams amassed $420,886.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist Queens Assembly member, raked in $1,051,200 between July 12 and Aug. 18, according to CFB records. The haul came from 8,461 donors – with an average contribution of $121. Just under half of those contributions — 48% — came from New York City donors, with the rest coming from outside the five boroughs.

CFB records indicate that Mamdani’s campaign submitted $281,270 of the sum in claims for the city’s public funds program, which matches eligible contributions 8-to-1. The campaign says it expects that amount to unlock over $2.2 million in matching funds.

With the new private and anticipated public funds, the campaign says it has already raised over $7 million in the general election.

“I’m thankful for the support of New Yorkers and for the fact that we continue to show that we are the choice of people across the five boroughs,” Mamdani, who won the June Democratic primary by nearly 13 points, said during an unrelated Friday news conference.

Mamdani’s spokesperson Dora Pekec, in a statement, said the campaign’s strong fundraising stems from his vast grassroots support, while taking a shot at Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams’ donors with connections to Republican President Trump.

“While Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams continue to rake in support from MAGA billionaires, our campaign is proud to be fueled by true grassroots support that speaks to the people-powered movement we’re building,” Pekec said. “With over 50,000 volunteers, thousands of small-dollar donors, and genuine enthusiasm for Zohran’s vision for a more affordable New York City, our momentum is surging.”

Mamdani’s campaign spent $848,918 over the same period and has a war chest of nearly $4.4 million.

The Assembly member was the first candidate to reach the $7.9 million spending limit in the Democratic primary. The spending cap has been reset for the general election.

Cuomo and Adams reports

The campaign for Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, said it expects to add to its $507,660 raise by unlocking $525,384 in matching funds. The combined sum would bring his total fundraising for the cycle to over $1 million.

Cuomo’s campaign shelled out $579,470 over the same period and has roughly $1.2 million in his campaign account, CFB records show. More than half of Cuomo’s donations came from outside New York City.

Cuomo appears to be lagging behind Mamdani in fundraising now that he is running as the underdog, instead of as the presumed frontrunner, as he was in the primary. The former governor was not only able to quickly raise large amounts during the Democratic contest, but was backed by tens of millions of dollars in super PAC spending.

Adams’ $420,886 haul, meanwhile, was far lower than the $1.5 million he raised over the previous filing period. That could spell more trouble for his campaign, given the CFB’s continued refusal to grant it matching funds. His haul has $59,420 in matching fund claims.

The mayor’s campaign spent big over the past month — to the tune of $850,668 — but still has nearly $4 million in its coffers, according to the board.

Neither campaign responded to requests for comment.

Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa’s campaign brought in $407,332, of which the campaign claimed $208,021 could be matched, CFB records show. He spent $345,314 and has $2 million cash on hand.

Meanwhile, independent attorney Jim Walden reported raising just over $8,222 over the same period, records indicate. About $4,329 of that amount is eligible for public matching funds, records show.

Walden’s campaign has spent $318,566 since mid-July. He has a balance of over $1.2 million in his campaign account.