Queens candidates get more matching funds in crowded races for open seats
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Half a dozen Queens Council candidates and a few Queens mayoral candidates received more money in matching funds ahead of another campaign finance deadline. Eagle file photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
Several Queens candidates in crowded races for the mayor’s office and the City Council were approved for matching funds by the city’s Campaign Finance Board on Monday morning, while some also announced massive fundraising hauls that will also soon multiply under the city’s matching funds program.
In total, half a dozen Queens council candidates earned public matching funds from the board, which handed out funds from the seventh filing deadline on Monday. Half the matching funds given to Queens candidates this week were given to candidates in one single Council race.
In the campaign for mayor, Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn legislator Zellnor Myrie scored the extra cash on Monday.
Former Governor and mayoral frontrunner Andrew Cuomo also said Monday he expects his campaign to qualify for matching funds after the latest fundraising deadline, which came to a close Monday night.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who hails from Southeast Queens, did not raise enough cash by Monday’s filing deadline to qualify for the matching funds.
But those running to replace her in the Council have been raking it in.
All four candidates for Jamaica-centered District 28 have now qualified for matching funds, the CFB said Monday.
Speaker Adams’ Chief of Staff Tyrell Hankerson, as well as community organizers Japneet Singh, LaToya LeGrand and Romeo Hitlall have all received public money.
LeGrand got $65,816 in public funds for the first time in Monday’s payments.
Singh, a local activist who ran unsuccessfully for State Senate last year, was given $12,312 on Monday, bringing his matching fund total to around $191,000, the most of any candidate in D28.
Hankerson got an additional $3,800 in matching funds, bringing his total received to $112,769.
Hitlall didn’t get any extra money on Monday, but his campaign said they expect to max out matching funds by the next deadline.
As of Monday afternoon, $634,345 has been reported between public and private funds in the race for District 28.
In the District 30 race to fill the role of term-limited Councilmember Bob Holden, United Federation of Teachers organizer Dermot Smyth got an additional few hundred dollars, adding on to his $125,606 public money total, the most in the race.
Smyth is backed by the Queens Democratic Party organization, and several Queens officials including Borough President Donovan Richards.
“Dermot’s campaign continues to far outpace the field in fundraising in this race because of his experience and ability to deliver for this district on the issues that are important to our families - public safety, quality of life, and public education,” a campaign spokesperson said Monday. “We expect another sizable matching funds payment at the next disbursement as we continue taking our message to the voters of the 30th District.”
One of his Democratic Primary opponents, local activist and roller hockey league president Paul Pogozelski, earned his first round of matching funds on Monday, pulling in $6,156.
“I am truly blessed to have nearly 95 percent small-dollar donations driving our campaign and about three-quarters of those recorded being from the neighborhood,” Pogozelski said in a statement.
Pogozelski took a veiled shot at Smyth for pulling in most of his money from outside the district.
“As someone who lives in this community, I would be very concerned about anyone who has gained little funds from within the district,” Pogozelski said. “Their interests will never align with the community and their focus will only be on pleasing those big outside donors with hidden agendas.”
According to campaign finance data, around 35 percent of Smyth’s donations have come from people living in District 30.
“Beyond hitting the required threshold with contributions from the community, which we achieved, Dermot has said from day one that all he would ask of residents of District 30 is for their votes – not their money,” Smyth’s campaign said in response to Pogozelski’s comment.
Republican candidate and Holden staffer Alicia Vaichunas also previously got matching funds, but no new money on Monday.
Two candidates in D30 are currently ineligible for funds.
Democrat Phil Wong, who also works for Holden, is currently ineligible for not meeting the threshold. And Republican John David Rinaldi, a perennial candidate who has been accused multiple times of harassing his opponents, is also ineligible because of several issues with his filings.
In District 21, the race to replace outgoing Councilmember Francisco Moya, only one candidate, Shanel Thomas-Henry has so far benefitted from matching funds.
The local community board member and LaGuardia Airport redevelopment consultant has among the largest campaign coffers in Queens and around $133,000 of it has come from public funds.
“I saw this path, and it's just been overwhelming support, both neighbors, friends, family, colleagues,” Thomas-Henry said in a conversation with the Eagle earlier this month. “I'm humbled by the amount of support that came in such a short period of time.”
Like Smyth, only about a third of her donations have come from within the district.
Other D21 candidates, Erycka Montoya and Sandro Navarro, did not reach the threshold, and Yanna Henriquez and former elected Hiram Monserrate are also currently ineligible due to variances in their reported expenditures.
Outside of those three open races, Democrat Richard Pacheco, who is one of several candidates vying to unseat Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, is the only candidate in Queens to get matching funds.
He received $45,372 in public money on Monday.
Top of the ballot
Outside of the Queens local races, the mayor's race at the of the ticket is bringing in loads of cash.
Mamdani, Stringer, Lander and Myrie all got a bit more money on Monday.
Queens candidates for mayor Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani boasted big campaign funding hauls before Monday’s midnight filing deadline. AP file photos/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Lander pulled in $50,000, the most extra cash among all candidates.
Ahead of Monday’s midnight deadline, the mayoral candidates – including Queens’ two new additions – flaunted their new fundraising hauls.
Mamdani announced his campaign raised $845,000 during the last fundraising period, and expects around $4 million more in public funding next month.
“We have the momentum, the movement and the money to win,” said Mamdani.
Stringer’s campaign said he pulled in over a million.
But Lander was still leading the pack in funding despite a smaller haul in the last filing period. The current comptroller raised $227,867 in the last fundraising period, and his campaign war chest is now over $6.71 million.
Speaker Adams and Cuomo both lauded their respective fundraising numbers ahead of Monday night’s deadline.
Cuomo’s camp reported around $1.5 million from 2,800 donors in the first two weeks of his campaign. If granted matching funds, the donations would bring his total coffers to around $4.2 million.
“I’ve been humbled by the depth and breadth of the outpouring of support we’ve received upon entering this race,” Cuomo said in a statement to amNY on Monday.
Speaker Adams did not raise enough funds to qualify for matching funds during the first week of her campaign. But since launching her bid for Gracie Mansion, her campaign said she pulled in around $128,000.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” the speaker told NBC on the St. Patrick’s Day parade route on Monday. “I think we did phenomenally for five days.”
As for the other Adams, Mayor Eric Adams has yet to report on his campaign finance numbers, and remains ineligible for public matching funds due to the ongoing criminal case in which he was accused of perpetrating a straw donor scheme in order to collect public matching funds from donations given to him by those living outside of the country.
