This article is adapted from our April 17 edition of RANKED CHOICES, THE CITY’s weekly election newsletter. Click here to sign up.
Dear New Yorkers,
This week, we found out that five mayoral candidates will get millions of dollars in taxpayer-supported matching funds, according to the latest disclosure from the city’s Campaign Finance Board.
Noticeably absent from that list was frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, whose campaign blamed a technical error for the delay in qualifying for matching dollars. (You can see the other matching-fund hauls in our report for candidates including independent Jim Walden and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who has now maxed out fundraising.)
There won’t be a cash flow problem when it comes to getting the word out about Cuomo, though. Why? Because of New York’s local political action committees, known as independent expenditures, or IEs.
They operate separately from campaigns but raise — and spend — big money on their behalf, sort of like a candidate-specific fan club.
And the one supporting Cuomo’s run, Fix the City, has already raised nearly $5 million — money they’ve put towards things like TV ads, which I saw this week while streaming NBC New York’s 5 p.m. news.
THE CITY’s Rachel Holliday Smith wrote a guide on IEs, why they matter a lot and how you can look up which groups are paying for the ads and flyers you’ll see this election season.
Keep an eye out, because huge spending by the major IEs in the city will ramp up big time in the coming weeks.
And also! Exciting news from us: We’ll be co-hosting many of the official debates for the primary and general elections this year!
That includes the debate on June 12 for leading Democratic primary candidates for mayor, airing on NY1, alongside our partners — NY1, Spectrum Noticias, WNYC/Gothamist and others. Here’s the full calendar of debates — save the dates!
— Katie Honan and THE CITY’s election team
What We’re Reading …
The Mayor Eric Adams’ administration and the City Council are fighting, again, this time over preparedness for Trump-administration budget cuts and the presence for immigration enforcement on Rikers Island. Some Queens residents say their signatures were forged on ballot petitions for multiple candidates, including people running for comptroller and public advocate.He doesn’t have matching funds (yet) but Cuomo does have lots of labor endorsements, picking up two big ones this week. And it appears Cuomo’s housing plan was written in part by ChatGPT, Hellgate reported.
What’s Ahead …
Days until the June primary: 68
April 29: Special election to replace Councilmember Joseph Borelli in City Council District 51. Are you in that Staten Island district? Find out here.
May 1: The date on which election officials will certify the primary ballot — and we’ll know precisely who made it onto the ballot.
Your Election Questions, Answered
❓Reader Matt M. asked: Doesn’t the winner of the general election for mayor in November have to get at least 40% of the vote to win? With a top-two run-off if he/she doesn’t get at least 40%? Or am I mixing this up with the old (pre-ranked choice voting) system for the primaries?
Answer: Yes, you’re thinking of the old system for primaries. Our November general elections are decided by whomever gets a plurality of the vote — the winner takes it all, even if they get 40% (or less). And, reminder: We might have as many as five candidates in the general this year.
Have a question for our election team? Reply back to this email or send your questions to ask@thecity.nyc.
THE CAMPAIGN KICKER: Congratulations to the city’s Board of Elections and their “Battle of the Boroughs” voting stickers, which won a coveted award known as “The Clearies” for sticker outreach that increased voter participation. We love to see it.
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