Billionaires and Republican donors are again giving six-figure donations to the largest pro-Andrew Cuomo super PAC in the New York City mayoral race, aiming to defeat state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary on June 24.
Mamdani finished with 56.4% of the primary vote, out of more than 1 million ballots cast, to Cuomo’s 43.6% in ranked-choice voting. The 33-year old progressive Mamdani's campaign focused on tackling the cost of living, expanding free child care, and delivering a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants at the city's Rent Guidelines Board—opposed by the powerful real estate industry, which gave millions backing Cuomo. Since Mamdani's primary win, the Queens Assemblymember has been gathering support with endorsements from major labor unions—shifting his way from former Gov. Cuomo—that represent workers like teachers, nurses, and public sector employees. Early voting in New York City starts on Oct. 25 ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4.
Cuomo, a few weeks after his primary loss, opted to run as an independent, after his campaign broke records for outside spending. The largest donor to Fix the City, the super PAC formed by Cuomo’s allies to raise large sums from wealthy donors, was former mayor Michael Bloomberg, who gave an unprecedented $8.3 million in the weeks before the primary. Among many corporate donors, DoorDash contributed $1 million in May to the spending group.
Last month, donations to Fix the City picked up again, with the super PAC receiving nearly $1.3 million in one week from a trio of repeat donors. On Aug. 21, the PAC received another $500,000 from billionaire William P. Lauder, an heir of the cosmetics company Estée Lauder and its board chair. The amount brought his total given to $1 million, according to New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) records.
On Aug. 20, the PAC received another $500,000 from John B. Hess, the former chairman and CEO of oil and gas company Hess Corporation, similarly bringing his total given to $1 million. Hess has been a large donor to Republican super PACs at the federal level, giving half a million dollars last cycle to knock out Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, and putting half a million dollars into the Senate Leadership Fund before the Jan. 5, 2021 U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia.
