As the New York City mayoral election approaches, socialist contender Zohran Mamdani has reached the $8 million fundraising ceiling.
In a video message, Mamdani urged supporters to cease financial contributions and instead assist with canvassing and campaign efforts. Notably, a significant portion of the donations, made between June and August, originated from outside the city.
"We cant take any more of your money, Mamdani stated in the video. Truly, you need to stop. Thanks to you, we've raised the maximum amount of money we can spend in this race: $8 million. And you've done it with more than two months to go until the election."
According to The Post Millennial, Mamdani capitalized on New York City's matching funds program, which offers an eight-to-one match for smaller donations. The New York City Campaign Finance Board's disclosures reveal that out of 19,480 individual donations made from mid-June to mid-August, 10,836 originated from outside the city.
During this period, contributions from outside New York City, excluding public matching, amounted to $966,216.34, while those within the city totaled $938,001.41 without public matching.
Mamdani, having emerged victorious in the Democratic primary, leads the polls against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, current Mayor Eric Adams, GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa, and others. However, some surveys suggest that Cuomo could potentially defeat Mamdani in a direct contest if other candidates were eliminated.
Cuomo, currently second in the polls, has amassed approximately $1.5 million in campaign funds, as reported by the New York Times. Mayor Eric Adams, trailing in fourth place, has secured around $4 million, while Sliwa has gathered about $3.4 million.
Mamdani's fundraising achievement coincides with President Donald Trump's efforts to streamline the mayoral race. On Thursday, the President expressed his desire for a more straightforward contest, stating, I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one."
Reports suggest that Trump has engaged in discussions with Adams regarding a potential ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia, a move aimed at reducing the number of candidates in the race. This development underscores the strategic maneuvers at play as the election draws near, with candidates vying for position in a crowded field.
Login