Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign says it saw a major fundraising boost over the past month, with nearly $400,000 — a large chunk of his haul — pouring into his coffers in the hours following Mayor Eric Adams dropping out of the race earlier this week, a source close to the campaign confirmed.
Ahead of the city Campaign Finance Board (CFB) releasing the candidates’ latest fundraising figures on Friday, Cuomo’s campaign announced it had amassed $940,000 between the end of August and this week. That marks a significant jump from the $507,660 it reported raising during the last filing period.
Yet, Cuomo is still catching up to Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, who said he hit the city’s $8 million spending cap on Sept. 5.
Of Cuomo’s haul, $337,076 is eligible to grow to nearly $2.7 million in matching funds, according to his campaign. Roughly 77% ($711,783) of those donations came from New York City residents, Cuomo’s campaign says, while the remaining flowed in from outside the five boroughs.
Bill Mulrow, Cuomo’s campaign chairman, said in a statement that “Momentum is on our side at exactly the right moment.”
“Voters are just now tuning into this race, and they want a safe city they can afford to live in, and they know Andrew Cuomo has the experience to deliver and the ability to hit the ground running on Day One,” he continued. “This is officially a two-person race, and it’s one Andrew Cuomo is going to win.”
The definitive numbers as well as the details of Cuomo’s filing were not available on the CFB website by post time.
The influx of $390,000 donations to Cuomo’s campaign in the 36 hours after Adams dropped out of the race, first reported by the Daily News, shows the immediate benefits his bid saw from the mayor’s exit. However, given that Adams was polling in last place, his absence likely will not greatly improve Cuomo’s standing in the polls as long as Republican Curtis Sliwa is still running.
Cuomo, during a Friday press event in Manhattan’s Chinatown, said he is seeking to draw the backing of Adams himself as well as the mayor’s supporters.
“I would like to have the support of Mayor Adams and the support of Mayor Adams’ supporters,” Cuomo told reporters. “Canvas, hand out literature, fundraise, tell their family, tell their neighbor.”
When asked about Cuomo’s haul during his own unrelated Friday news conference, Mamdani said he does not have fundraise in the contest any more, while Cuomo very much still does.
“Thanks to the support of everyday New Yorkers, we don’t have to worry about fundraising in this race,” Mamdani said. “We’ve maxed out our fundraising because thousands of New Yorkers have come forward…While Andrew Cuomo will continue to have to call donors, I look forward to actually speaking to New Yorkers themselves.”
Mamdani, a democratic socialist Queens Assembly member, added that he does not believe the wave of donations means that Cuomo’s campaign is gaining momentum.
“I think that the momentum in this race is for a politics that looks to actually stand up to authoritarianism, not one that looks to coordinate with it,” Mamdani said, appearing to reference his contention that Cuomo is colluding with President Trump to win the election. Cuomo denies that he and Trump have had any contact during the campaign.
Meanwhile, Sliwa’s campaign said it raised $421,000 in the latest filing period — its strongest. haul yet, according to a report by City & State New York. With that amount, Sliwa has now raised just over $1.3 million in private contributions, the outlet reported.
