Campaign Finance Board Favors Socialist Zohran Mamdani with Millions, Leaves Adams and Cuomo Empty-Handed

Determining which is more disheartening: the current crop of mayoral candidates or the city’s process for electing one?

This past Tuesday, the Campaign Finance Board withheld nearly $3 million in public matching funds from the city’s top mayoral contender, former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

In contrast, the board awarded a whopping $3.8 million to radical socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is trailing significantly in the polls.

What’s the reason behind the hold-up of Cuomo’s funds?

The board cites a “high percentage (20% or more) of documentation errors for contributions” along with his failure to submit a “personal financial disclosure.”

Indeed, Cuomo’s campaign is in disarray: Recently, it released a housing plan riddled with typos and poorly worded content that seemed generated by AI, and misspelled the names of union leaders in an endorsement announcement.

This only compounds Cuomo’s disastrous record as governor, which has been described as “killing grannies and pinching fannies,” as the late Bob McManus aptly put it.

Additionally, his troubling legacy includes policies related to “congestion” tolls and signing numerous “criminal justice reforms” into law.

Perhaps the withholding of funds is poetic justice for the $5 million Cuomo “earned” for a staff-written book on COVID “leadership.”

Or perhaps it’s the $60 million in taxpayer funds spent to cover his legal expenses.

Nonetheless, even with Cuomo’s considerable lead in the polls (which reflects the poor alternatives), he receives nothing in public funds, at least for now.

Mayor Eric Adams is also being denied support, with the CFB having noted charges against him that were already dismissed.

The board will not even consider matching funds unless Adams files an appeal, which he has yet to do.

He also has not submitted his personal disclosure statement.

This leaves Mamdani — at 33, best known for heckling border czar Tom Homan, asserting that socialism truly does work, and expressing deep disdain for Israel — as the standout winner in the matching-funds contest.

The Democratic Socialists of America candidate has raised an impressive $6.7 million, far outpacing the second-place contender Brad Lander (who also has ties to the DSA).

Talk about irony.

An anti-capitalist Israel critic competing in the heart of capitalism, a city with the largest Jewish population, securing more from taxpayers than mainstream candidates like Cuomo and Adams.

He’s already put socialist principles into practice: Our money is funding his campaign.

This is all part of Gotham’s convoluted public-campaign-finance system, which has already cost taxpayers over $14 million this year in 8-to-1 matching funds, with unelected board members arbitrarily determining who receives what.

Back in 2013, the board similarly denied public funds to John Liu’s mayoral campaign, effectively derailing it and allowing Bill de Blasio’s uninspiring victory.

These disheartening outcomes are the result of a system that was intended to create a fair electoral environment.

Perhaps the public will eventually have the opportunity to exit this farce and allow politicians to figure out how to finance their own campaigns.