Democrat Adrienne Adams raised $128,000 in the first week of her mayoral campaign but fell short of qualifying for public matching funds — in a major blow to her campaign.
The City Council speaker’s late entry into the race ahead of a June 24 party primary — and failure to immediately tap into the 8-1 public matching funds — makes her road to victory more difficult, campaign strategists said Sunday.
“It certainly puts her at a disadvantage,” said Chris Coffey, who ran Andrew Yang’s mayoral campaign in 2021 and is supportive of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s comeback bid for City Hall.
Former Brooklyn Councilman Sal Albanese, who ran for mayor in 1997 and 2017, said, “You’re not a candidate unless you’re on TV.”
He said he qualified for taxpayer dollars just before the 1997 Democratic primary run.
“My poll numbers shot up 12 points because I was able to put up TV ads. But it was too late. I got the funds a few weeks before the primary,” Albanese said.
Candidates need to collect at least $250,000 in donations from 1,000 contributors to be eligible for matching funds, according to the city Campaign Finance Board — and Adams likely won’t get access to matching funds until May.
Still, Albanese believes Adrienne Adams — no relation to rival Mayor Eric Adams — can be competitive because most voters don’t pay close attention until the final weeks before the primary.
Adrienne Adams’ campaign team put out a positive memo Sunday claiming she has “big energy” despite the late start.
She raised more than $128,000 in five days from 1,128 donors, including 875 donors who reside in New York City.
The campaign said more than $78,000 in matchable donations qualify for $624,000 in matching funds, once the campaign qualifies.
“This early surge reflects real, organic enthusiasm – something this race has largely lacked, aside from Zohran Mamdani’s base,” the campaign said.
They categorized Cuomo’s support as “passive” while hers is “active.” The Cuomo campaign is expected to report his campaign donations on Monday.
Allies to the ex-governor have a Super PAC called Fix the City to independently bolster his campaign.
But some critics said the council speaker faces an uphill battle, with one Queens Democrat saying, “Adrienne would be a great alternative but she got into the race too late.”
The source said allies of the council speaker would have to set up a separate Super PAC, known as independent expenditure, to drump up the millions of dollars needed to go up against frontrunner Cuomo and other candidates.
Four other contenders have obtained matching funds — city Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, state Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
The CFB rejected Eric Adams matching funds due to ongoing legal woes, but he has raised $4.4 million.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Democratic Party chairwoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn — a close ally of Eric Adams — endorsed Cuomo.
Her husband, Edu Hermelyn, works for the Cuomo campaign, The Post reported last week.
It’s a 180-turn for Bichotte, also a state assemblywoman, who on Aug. 3, 2021 said Cuomo should “step down and resign” as governor after a damning investigative report commissioned by state Attorney General Letitia James concluded he harassed or mistreated a slew of women.
Cuomo denied the accusations but resigned under threat of impeachment, and now is attempting a comeback bid for mayor.
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