Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who’s the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination within the New York Metropolis mayoral race, misplaced out on greater than $600,000 in public matching funds over accusations that his marketing campaign illegally coordinated with a brilliant PAC.
The ruling from the New York Metropolis Marketing campaign Finance Board got here after a grievance from one in all Cuomo’s opponents, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D), and a preliminary investigation into the accusation that Cuomo’s marketing campaign engaged in a apply often known as “redboxing.”
Campaigns usually are not allowed to coordinate with tremendous PACs, however redboxing is a manner for them to get round this by posting what messaging they need to get to voters to let tremendous PACs know what to have their advertisements say.
Myrie alleged final week that an advert from the pro-Cuomo tremendous PAC, Repair the Metropolis, had used related language and themes to the messaging that Cuomo’s marketing campaign included on its web site on what it believes is vital for voters to learn about Cuomo.
“These statements serve no discernible objective besides to direct potential unbiased expenditure efforts,” the letter states.
The board warned Cuomo’s marketing campaign after it posted the messaging on its web site, and the marketing campaign then took it down.
The board introduced its resolution at its public assembly on Monday, nonetheless approving about $1.5 million in public matching funds to Cuomo’s marketing campaign. But it surely determined to withhold $622,056 from that whole, the quantity that Repair the Metropolis spent on the advert.
“Based mostly on preliminary outcomes of the board’s investigation, the board has cause to consider Repair the Metropolis’s $622,056 expenditure for an advert distributed on Could 4, 2025, was not unbiased of the Cuomo marketing campaign,” stated board member Richard Davis, studying an announcement from the board.
He cited the board’s rule that permits the physique to think about an expenditure not unbiased if it makes use of “strategic data or knowledge” made publicly out there by the candidate “in a fashion wherein the candidate knew or ought to have recognized” could be used.
Cuomo marketing campaign spokesperson Wealthy Azzopardi stated in an announcement that it’s in “full compliance” with marketing campaign finance guidelines and its authorized group accredited every bit of content material that was posted on its web site upfront. He argued different candidates have posted related data on-line.
“We sit up for making that clear after we reply to the Board’s preliminary ruling and receiving the complete matching funds to which the marketing campaign is entitled,” he stated.
However Azzopardi additionally pointed to the marketing campaign’s momentum and didn’t categorical a lot concern for the amount of cash it didn’t obtain Monday.
“Within the meantime our marketing campaign’s momentum continues unabated: immediately we obtain $1.5 million on high of the over $3.5 million we now have raised in 71 days and are gratified to have the broadest coalition of supporters, and lead in each ballot with voters in each borough, gender, race and ethnicity,” he stated.
Repair the Metropolis stated in an announcement that it’s “totally unbiased,” and its work has taken place lawfully and with none “perception or affect of any prohibited exterior entities.” Invoice Knapp, who made the advertisements for the group and works for the strategic communications agency SKDK, stated in an announcement that he created the advertisements independently, solely utilizing publicly out there details about Cuomo and his coverage proposals.
Myrie stated in an announcement that the ruling exhibits that Cuomo is “on the market.”
“Whereas Donald Trump works to dismantle democracy on the nationwide stage, Cuomo and his billionaire backers are attempting to purchase Metropolis Corridor,” he stated. “New Yorkers want a frontrunner who defends democracy and fights for working folks — not one who sells energy to the best bidder.”
Cuomo has persistently been within the lead in polling for the Democratic major, which takes place subsequent month.