Queens candidate leads in mayoral fundraising as money pours into local races
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Queens Assembly Zohran Mamdani bought in more than any other mayoral candidate during the latest filing period. Eagle file photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
The money has begun to flow.
New campaign fundraising numbers show Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani outraising all of his mayoral opponents during the most recent filing period. The new filings also show a rush of cash to several local races in the World’s Borough.
Fundraising data for citywide and local elections filed before Wednesday’s deadline, showed strong fundraising for the socialist candidate, who outraised all of his mayoral opponents in the period but still falls behind in overall cash on hand.
Locally, the data shed some light on some potentially tight races to fill soon-to-be vacant City Council seats in Queens.
Through the last fundraising period between Oct. 8 and Jan. 11, Mamdani raised $641,816, more than $2,000 ahead of the second-highest mayoral candidate. His donations came from 6,518 individual donors, more than the next six candidates combined.
“Something is happening here,” Mamdani said on social media. “People are hungry for a different kind of politics.”
The haul beats any single period total for any candidate so far in the 2025 mayoral race.
As for the rest of the candidates, hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson fell just behind Mamdani with $424,868 raised over the period.
Sitting Mayor Eric Adams came in third with $270,291, followed by Comptroller Brad Lander, his predecessor Scott Stringer – who made his campaign official Thursday – Brooklyn legislator Zellnor Myrie and former Assemblymember Michael Blake.
Mamdani’s fellow Queens elected, State Senator Jessica Ramos – the only woman in the race – came in eighth, raising $107,619.
However, while Mamdani brought in a promising fundraising haul from neighborhoods across the city and not just progressive bastions, the most recent filing period only tells part of the story.
Overall cash on hand has Mamdani in fifth.
Lander still leads all candidates in total, with over $3.2 million left in his war chest, followed by Adams and Stringer.
Those numbers also come without all of the public matching funds that many of the candidates – Lander, Adams, Stringer, Mamdani and Myrie – succeeded in qualifying for.
Lander and Adams, who lead with and without matching funds added in, both missed out on matching funds the first time around – Adams because of his legal issues and Lander for failing to submit the paperwork on time.
Adams has attempted to quell murmurs about his poor fundraising hauls and polling numbers by arguing that it’s too early in the race to be concerned.
During his weekly “off topic” press conference on Monday, Adams was asked about the results of a poll which had him and every other candidate behind the unannounced former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
In response, he held up a newspaper headline from February 2021 describing a poll that had Andrew Yang far ahead in the mayoral race Adams ultimately won.
“We don't say Mayor Yang, we say Mayor Adams,” he said. “Polls don't make mayors, people do.”
Queens races
Locally, where money is often more important than name recognition or background, the recently released fundraising data began to paint a picture of several City Council races, mainly for the three open seats in the borough.
In Council District 21, where term-limited Councilmember Francisco Moya currently serves, there are five candidates vying for the seat, all of whom raised more than $10,000.
Leading the charge is community activist Shanel Thomas-Henry, a recently filed candidate who has filed $43,000 in donations and still has $37,000 on hand, more than three-times the next largest coffer.
Most of Thomas-Henry’s largest donations have come from out of state, or at least out of the district. Recently-retired legislator Jeffrion Aubry also gave to her campaign.
The next highest haul in the race was from former elected official Hiram Monserrate, who is once again seeking to get back to office, but must overcome a legal fight to do so.
However, that hasn’t stopped Monserrate from receiving $25,000 in donations, some of which were from longtime allies.
Behind him is a former Adrienne Adams staffer, Erycka Montoya, who was leading before the most recent filing. She now has $13,000 on hand after having received close to $20,000 in donations. Montoya also has support from Catalina Cruz and Jessica González-Rojas.
Next was Yanna Henriquez, a district leader, who brought in $12,000. Both her and Montoya have more cash left than Monserrate.
Last was Sandra Navarro, a Jessica Ramos staffer, who brought in over $10,000 in the most recent fundraising period.
Council District 30, which the term-limited Common Sense Caucus co-chair Bob Holden will soon be vacating, also is home to one of the tighter races in Queens.
United Federation of Teachers veteran Dermot Smyth currently has a strong lead, bringing in $62,000, more than any non-incumbent in Queens.
Smyth is running with the support of the Queens Democratic Party establishment.
Coming behind Smyth is Holden’s Deputy Chief of Staff Alicia Vaichunas, who is running with her boss’s blessing.
She received $15,000 in funding, but has been in the race for a shorter time than Smyth. The two are neck-and-neck in cash on hand.
Community member Paul Pogozelski brought in $11,000, and is in third.
Other candidates, John David Rinaldi and Phil Wong, have $2,000 and $100 respectively.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ 28th District is also up for grabs with the speaker hitting her term-limit this year.
Expected to be one of the closest, if not the closest watch elections in Queens, the race for speaker’s “Great 28” currently has four candidates.
Leading the fundraising charge is local community board member and Guyanese community activist Romeo Hitlall, who has an $87,000 balance with $33,000 in private funds.
Next is Adams’ own pick for the job, her Chief of Staff and District Leader and Tyrell Hankerson.
Hankerson, who also has the backing of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and other officials, has close to $49,000 on hand but has outspent Hitlall by nearly $20,000.
Another community activist, Japneet Singh, has also raised solid funding for the seat, with $30,000 raised.
Outside of the open seats, not much is close.
Councilmember Nantasha Williams has brought in more than $10,000 over her closest competitor Austin Pieters, and Councilmember Shekar Krishnan is far outraising his four competitors.
The next filing deadline doesn't come until May, and regardless of money, candidates in February will need to begin petitioning to get on the ballot for June’s primaries.
