City Comptroller Brad Lander’s campaign says it has now eclipsed Mayor Eric Adams’ team in the money race for this year’s Democratic mayoral primary, having raised $5.4 million with public matching funds it has received or expects to receive in the future included.
Lander’s campaign has thus far brought in $1,188,981 in raw contributions, according to his campaign and city Campaign Finance Board (CFB) records. That amount will grow to $4,166,739 with $2,977,758 in matching funds that the city CFB awarded him on Wednesday.
“This incredible response shows that New Yorkers are hungry for honest, effective leadership,” Lander said in a statement. “I’m proud to have earned the most grassroots support and to have qualified for the largest matching funds payment, which will ensure that we have the resources to speak directly to voters in the coming months about our plans to deliver a safer, more affordable, better-run city for all New Yorkers.”
The CFB awarded Lander his first round of matching funds on Wednesday after it initially rejected his claim in December, due to not filing the proper paperwork in a timely manner.
Lander has $3,236,090 cash-on-hand, according to CFB records, after spending $930,649. His haul comes from 4,948 contributors, 86% of whom live in the five boroughs, his campaign said.
Meanwhile, Adams’ 2025 re-election bid is back in the fundraising game after the CFB denied it the first round of public matching funds last month.
His campaign raked in over $270,291 in the latest fundraising quarter, according to the CFB. That brings the mayor’s total haul to nearly $4.4 million.
“The campaign raised more than a quarter million dollars in just a few weeks following a December in which Mayor Adams was busy winning major victories for New Yorkers on housing and public safety, putting us close to $4.5 million raised in total, far more than any other campaign,” Pitta said in a statement. “We expect that number to grow significantly in the near future, and are well-positioned to have the maximum amount to spend.”
Adams currently has $3.1 million in his campaign war chest.
The mayor was expected to grow his war chest by another $4 million with public dollars in December, but the CFB denied the first tranche of matching funds. The panel cited Adams’ federal corruption indictment, which includes allegations of cheating the city’s matching funds program by applying for public dollars with illegal straw donations, as the central reason.
Competitors catching up
While Lander is the only candidate to outpace Adams so far in fundraising, with matching funds included, some of the mayor’s other competitors have also caught up to him.
Former city Comptroller Scott Stringer has raised over $4.1 million, including matching funds that he has recieved and expects to unlock. Stringer raised $197,428 between October and January, according to the Campaign Finance Board. About $101,502 of that amount can be grown into $1,009,987 with matching funds, his campaign said.
“Our campaign has continued to bring in the resources we need to run a winning race and share my vision for New York’s future,” Stinger said in a statement. “New Yorkers know our city is at a crossroads. They’re ready for a reformer and leader who can get government working for everyone instead of the mayor’s cronies and deliver real solutions to the major challenges the city faces.”
Overall, Stringer’s campaign has had 3,779 donors, most of whom live in the city, who gave an average of $133. Stringer has $2,377,628 currently at his disposal after recieving $2,157,123 in public dollars in December.
Another candidate, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) has now qualified for matching funds, according to his campaign.
Myrie has raised a total of $647,699 since launching his campaign last May, roughly $183,787 of which he brought in this past quarter, CFB records show. With public matching funds, he can use some $301,981 of that amount to bring his fundraising haul to $3,063,297, his campaign says.
“New Yorkers from across all five boroughs are coming together to support Zellnor because they are ready for fresh, new leadership in City Hall,” Myrie’s campaign spokesperson Monica Klein said in a statement.
“Zellnor is serious about making our city livable and affordable — which is why he’s the only candidate who has released a plan to tackle the housing shortage head-on,” she added, referring to Myrie’s plan to construct 1 million new homes in the city over the next 10 years.
In total, Myrie’s campaign has been buoyed by 3,300 donors who gave an average $127 contribution. He currently has $262,040 on hand.
Democratic Social Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens) was had the strongest fundraising of the quarter out all of the candidates.
Mamdani’s campaign raised $641,816 from 6,502 donors since launching in late October, meaning he now qualifies for matching funds, his campaign says. He can use at least $300,000 of those funds to grow its war chest to $3 million.
The Assembly member is campaigning on three core policy proposals: freezing the rent for stabilized tenants, making MTA buses fast and free to ride, and implementing no-cost universal child care.
“We knew there was a hunger for a different kind of politics but this is beyond even our highest expectations,” Mamdani said. “Our thousands of donors have launched us and our vision for a more affordable city into the top tier of this race.”
State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) continues to lag behind much of the pack. She has only raised $160,131 overall, according to the CFB, $107,619 she brought in this quarter.
Ramos’ campaign says her haul will grow to $851,662 when it unlocks an expected $690,056 in matching funds.
But former Bronx Assembly Member Michael Blake has raised nearly the same amount as Ramos, $146,084, in far less time.