Two Democratic main challengers to Mayor Eric Adams capitalized on the chaos engulfing Metropolis Corridor, hauling in additional than $1 million every in marketing campaign funds — together with a donation from actress Scarlett Johansson, new filings present.
Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander raked in $1.5 million over the past three months, bringing the full in his 2025 mayoral marketing campaign conflict chest to $4.5 million, in response to fundraising figures launched Friday — the primary since beautiful raids on high-level Metropolis Corridor officers and Adams’ historic prison indictment.
The haul stands above that of different Adams challengers, with the next-highest coming from Scott Stringer — Lander’s predecessor as comptroller and a 2021 mayoral also-ran — who netted $3.2 million this yr, with $1.1 million in latest months.
However Stringer has one thing Lander lacks: the backing of “Black Widow” star Johansson, who donated $2,100 to his marketing campaign, information supplied to The Publish present.
“I feel it’s very clear that having raised $3.2 million in lower than a yr reveals that individuals need change at Metropolis Corridor,” stated Stringer, who formally introduced his run in mid-January.
“Once I communicate in residing rooms asking for small greenback contributions, individuals ask me about public security,” he stated. “They ask me about mismanagement at Metropolis Corridor. They’re very involved about corruption. And I inform those that I’m working because the grown up within the room.”
ScarJo has lengthy backed Stringer, who advocated on tenant points with the star’s grandmother within the Nineteen Eighties and later employed the actress’ twin brother to work within the Manhattan borough president workplace.
She has hosted fundraisers for Stringer, donated $2,000 to his 2021 marketing campaign and apparently continues to assist him after a sexual assault accusation — which the pol vehemently denies — tanked his final bid for mayor.
Each Lander and Stringer have used Adams’ scandals to fundraise, with Lander pushing for donations simply hours after Adams appeared in courtroom on bribery and corruption fees final month.
It remained unclear how a lot monetary assist Adams was in a position to keep regardless of the flurry of federal probes shifting to the forefront of Huge Apple politics. His marketing campaign didn’t present fundraising numbers as of Friday.
The cash racked up by Lander and Stringer, which embrace public matching funds, between the three-month submitting interval ending Friday nonetheless leaves them far in need of Adams’ formidable conflict chest.
Adams had $8 million money on-hand over the past submitting, simply shy of a $8.3 million spending cap for candidates who obtain public matching funds.
However Adams’ prison indictment may threaten his capacity to spend these spoils.
Federal prosecutors contend Adams solicited unlawful straw donations throughout his 2021 mayoral marketing campaign to sport the town’s matching fund program that generously multiples each donated greenback eightfold for candidates.
The accusations prompted metropolis Marketing campaign Finance Board Chair Frederick Schaffer to launch a overview of Adams’ funds.
“Whereas the mayor is presumed harmless till confirmed responsible and deserves due course of, the Board will nonetheless overview all related data, together with however not restricted to the indictment, in an effort to uphold our metropolis’s marketing campaign finance guidelines and defend taxpayer {dollars},” Schaffer stated after the indictment.
One other mayoral candidate, State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, raised $701,404 over the past three months, together with matching funds, in response to the brand new submitting.
His marketing campaign has raised greater than $2 million because it launched 5 months in the past.
Jessica Ramos, one other state senator who just lately launched a run for mayor, raised an anemic $52,512, in response to her marketing campaign. She has but to succeed in the brink to qualify for matching funds.
Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who’s poised to get the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America, received’t be making a submitting, his representatives instructed The Publish.
Two different rumored contenders — former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Lawyer Normal Letitia James — are stated to be eyeing leaping into a possible particular election that’ll be held if Adams resigns or is ousted.
They’ve comparatively flush marketing campaign conflict chests on the state stage — about $890,000 on-hand for James and a large $7.9 million on-hand for Cuomo — however specialists say it may very well be tough for them to work round marketing campaign finance guidelines to spend that money in a citywide race, particularly in a decent time-frame main as much as a particular election.
— Extra reporting by Craig McCarthy
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