A super political action committee supporting Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for New York City mayor has raised nearly $2.4 million, and roughly 78% of that money — about $1.83 million — came from donors outside New York, campaign finance records show.
The committee, New Yorkers for Lower Costs, reported that New York residents contributed $526,675, or 22% of its receipts, while out-of-state donors provided the remainder. Twenty-six donors in California accounted for $762,631 of the total, and other notable out-of-state contributions included $212,000 from Washington, D.C., and $170,000 from Illinois.
The fundraising pattern has drawn criticism from rival campaigns. "Mamdani’s campaign isn’t about New York City — it’s about fueling a national socialist movement bankrolled by donors in California and beyond," said Todd Shapiro, a spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams’ re-election effort. "New Yorkers don’t need lectures from California millionaires about how to live, work, and raise their families."
Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa also faulted the out-of-state support, saying it suggested the campaign backing Mamdani was not genuinely grassroots. "When the PAC propping up Zohran Mamdani gets nearly 80% of its money from out of state, halfway across the country like California, that isn’t grassroots; it’s Astroturf," he said.
A longtime Democratic consultant, Hank Sheinkopf, said the out-of-town interest reflects a broader strategic calculation among left-leaning activists who view New York as a national prize. "New York is target No. 1," he said. "They’ve never had an opportunity like this. If he wins, it also will be the beginning of the national crusade for socialists to take over other large cities across the country."
The super PAC’s fundraising exceeds the share of out-of-state giving reported to Mamdani’s campaign committee. The assemblyman’s campaign announced last week that it had reached the race’s $8 million fundraising cap; since the June Democratic primary that Mamdani won, more than half of the donations to his campaign have come from outside New York, compared with less than one-fifth before the upset, records indicate.
New Yorkers for Lower Costs operates independently of Mamdani’s campaign. A PAC filing shows it has already spent roughly $1.4 million of its receipts on consultants and advertising services outside New York, with more than $1 million paid to firms in Washington, D.C., and the remainder going to companies in California and Canada. Mamdani’s campaign spokeswoman Dora Pekec deferred comment to the PAC; the PAC’s organizers did not respond to requests for comment.
By contrast, super PACs backing other mayoral candidates have relied far more heavily on local donors. A pro-Andrew Cuomo group called Fix The City reported more than $27 million in donations, with about 74% coming from New Yorkers, and the Empower NYC PAC supporting Mayor Adams reported that roughly 92% of its roughly $1.46 million in donations came from within the city.
Mamdani’s June primary victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was a surprise to many political observers and has intensified national interest in the general election, which will include Cuomo and Adams running as independent candidates in November alongside Sliwa and Mamdani. The flow of out-of-state money into the PAC backing Mamdani underscores how the mayoral contest in the nation’s largest city has attracted attention and resources from donors and interest groups beyond New York.
The campaign finance disclosures add to questions about the role of outside money in municipal elections, an issue that has surfaced repeatedly in recent high-profile races. Federal and state rules allow independent expenditure groups to raise and spend without coordinating with candidates, but the origin and allocation of such funds often figure into debates about local control and influence.
Supporters of Mamdani and national progressive groups have framed donations as solidarity among activists who share policy goals. Opponents have argued that an influx of out-of-state money can distort local priorities and diminish homegrown political engagement. The PAC’s continued spending on out-of-state vendors will likely be scrutinized as the campaign moves toward the November general election.
Campaign finance records cited in this report were filed with state authorities and reflect contributions and expenditures reported through the most recent disclosure period. Cuomo’s campaign declined to comment on the PAC’s fundraising, and the PAC did not provide additional information beyond its filings.
