Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo still has nearly $8 million in his campaign coffers, but it may be difficult to use it for a City Hall bid.
That's because the money is in his old state campaign finance account, and campaign finance rules would make it especially difficult for him to transfer his rumored Big Apple mayoral campaign funds.
Another potential mayoral candidate, state Attorney General Letitia James, faces the same problem, but with significantly less cash available.
“I don’t think these war chests are a huge advantage,” John Caney, executive director of the watchdog group Reinvent Albany, told the Post.
“Converting military funds into money that can be used in urban races would be expensive and time-consuming,” he says.
To transfer cash, a campaign must obtain approval for the move from the original donor, which of course requires time and resources to facilitate.
If embattled Mayor Eric Adams resigns and a special election is called, candidates should have an earlier deadline to ensure they have enough money to spend on staff, advertising and polling. It will be.
Mr. Cuomo is believed to have been considering a run for mayor for several months, but a sexual harassment scandal broke in 2021 and he resigned as governor with a massive $18 million in campaign funds. Paul denies the charges against him.
His war chest fluctuates depending on his expenses, with legal fees covered by the state, but as of July he had just under $8 million in the bank.
The newspaper first reported that top Democrats are eyeing James as a potential replacement for Cuomo if he runs. In 2021, the AG famously released a report concluding that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, a finding that Cuomo denounced as “phony.”
In public, Mr. James has avoided questions about his interest in running for mayor and has not called on Mr. Adams to resign.
The attorney general, who is running for re-election in 2026, has about $890,000 in campaign funds on hand.
Asked about the situation by the Post, Cuomo city spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement, “All of this is premature, but Governor Cuomo loves this city and wants to do everything he can to help it succeed.” “I'm a proud Queenstown boy.” ”
On the other hand, Mr. Caney said that even if Mr. James or Mr. Cuomo are not on the ballot, candidates would not have much power if a special election were held, and the He pointed out that special interest groups such as labor unions and real estate lobbies would be given significant power. The time has come to raise funds ourselves from many sources.
“I think those forces will become even more powerful,” he said.
