NEW YORK — The field looking to unseat Mayor Eric Adams is becoming financially competitive with the embattled incumbent, new campaign filings show.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, a left-flank Democrat promising to tackle subway homelessness, reported raising $221,599 since Oct. 7, which marked the end of the last filing period. With the nearly $3 million in public matching funds he was granted Wednesday, he has $3.2 million to spend, having shelled out $930,649 on staff, consultants and events.
Lander netted support from civil servants, attorneys and donors working for nonprofits and the arts. Among his notable contributors this cycle were civil rights lawyer Ron Kuby and the head of the Coalition for the Homeless.
Lander’s predecessor, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, reported raising $197,428 since October, with contributions from real estate figures and restaurant workers. Stringer was the first candidate to qualify for matching funds, which injected $2.2 million into his coffers last month. That brings him to $2.9 million raised. He has also spent $568,039, leaving him with $2.4 million on hand.
Adams reported raising $270,291 since October, bringing his total contributions to $4.4 million with a balance of $3.1 million. Among the donors was cryptocurrency mogul Brock Pierce, who hosted a fundraiser for Adams in Puerto Rico and gave $3,700 — above the legal limit for any candidate receiving matching funds.
Adams’ campaign paid $113,249 to former fundraiser Brianna Suggs, an aide whose house was raided by the FBI in late 2023 in connection with Adams’ previous campaign. The mayor also forked over $418 to his favorite nightlife haunt, Zero Bond, for a fundraising event.
While his haul over the last three months put him on par with that of Lander and Stringer, Adams was not expecting to fundraise at all.
In December, the campaign board denied Adams matching funds, citing the federal criminal case against him involving straw donors and the campaign’s failure to provide requisite documents to the board. The decision, which Adams can appeal, left his warchest with a $4.3 million hole.
Meanwhile Adams’ legal defense trust, set up to raise for legal bills, netted just $2,200 over the last quarter from two donors, attorney Alan Sclar and businessperson Tzvi Odzer.
Odzer was caught up in a straw donor scheme decades earlier, charged with making illegal donations in his children’s name to then-Rep. Anthony Weiner’s campaign in 1999 and ordered by a federal judge to pay a $12,000 fine.
Adams’ meager donations were not enough to bring the trust into the black. The fund reported $873,770 in expenses since October, with the majority going to his defense attorneys at WilmerHale. The trust also reported a $200,000 advance retainer to Quinn Emanuel, the law firm of Adams’ lead trial attorney, Alex Spiro.
The attorneys’ bills are certain to grow as they prepare for Adams’ April trial. The fund was already in debt as of the last filing deadline in October. And with so few donations coming in, the deficit has ballooned to more than $735,000.
Adams’ campaign attorney Vito Pitta declined to comment.
During the three months since the last filing deadline, state Sen. Zohran Mamdani outraised the rest of the Democratic primary field several times over.
The democratic socialist’s campaign reported $641,816 from 6,518 donors — more than any of his rivals. Mamdani’s supporters gave $98 on average, the lowest figure of any candidate. He has not qualified for matching funds and has $415,555 in the bank.
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie reported $183,640 in contributions over the last three months, bringing his total receipts to $647,998. He has not received public matching funds, and his expenditures put his balance at $262,040.
Myrie has been positioning himself as the candidate most open to building housing. To that end, he received a $400 contribution from Two Trees Management Chief Executive Jed Walentas, who serves as the chair of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Jim Walden, who is planning to run as an independent in the general election, raised $630,214. With the $500,000 he loaned his campaign and his expenses factored in, he has $899,377 left, according to the board.
Most mayoral campaigns will wait until closer to the June 24 primary to spend substantially, but donations at this stage are a sign of strength and momentum.