Prospective challengers to Eric Adams in the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary are touting strong fundraising hauls as Monday’s Campaign Finance Board filing came due.
Brooklyn State Senator Zellnor Myrie, who launched an exploratory committee to run against Adams in May, has raised $326,480 so far, his campaign announced Monday morning. Around $127,586 can be used to secure over $1.3 million from the city’s generous public matching funds program, his campaign said.
The state Senator’s haul comes from 1,856 donors — who, on average, contributed $145 to his prospective bid.
Myrie campaign spokesperson Monica Klein said in a Monday statement that the senator’s support is coming from New Yorkers who are “ready for strong, new leadership in City Hall.”
“Zellnor knows we need a well-run city where we all can afford to live and raise families — and grassroots donors across the five boroughs agree,” Klein said. “With over 2,000 donations, Zellnor is building the support and momentum needed to power this campaign and make our city more affordable and livable.”
Myrie’s numbers appear to show his low-name recognition compared to Adams and Stringer has not stopped him from being able to bring in a sizable amount of campaign cash.
Scott Stringer, the former city Comptroller and an unsuccessful 2021 mayoral hopeful, revealed Monday that he has also amassed a healthy campaign war chest since launching his own exploratory committee in January. The former comptroller’s campaign said he has raked in nearly 425,000 over the past 6 months, of which close to $207,000 is eligible to obtain roughly $2.1 million in matching funds. He has over $298,000 cash on hand, according to CFB records.
Stringer, whose 2021 bid was felled by sexual misconduct allegations that he fiercely denies, said the haul was larger than his campaign expected and means he is “definitely moving forward.”
“I think people are coming to our campaign because they want change, and they’re expressing themselves with thousands of small-dollar contributions,” Stringer said. “And when you add it all up, I think it’s pretty clear that we’re going to have enough resources to go on television and continue to build a door-to-door campaign.”
Myrie’s and Stringer’s numbers are the first clear evidence that they present viable challenges to Adams in next year’s ranked-choice Democratic primary.
Chris Coffey, the CEO of Tusk Strategies who worked on Andrew Yang’s campaign in 2021, said both Myrie and Stringer’s filings look to be strong for candidates running against an incumbent mayor
“Scott’s always been a strong fundraiser and Zellner is a rising star and both of their filings put them in a solid position to continue to raise money and have the resources they need to run against Eric Adams,” Coffey said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Adams maintains a massive fundraising lead, having raked in $1.1 million over the past six months. That brings the total amount he has raised for his 2025 bid to over $4 million — $500,000 of which is eligible to secure $8.1 million in matching funds. He has nearly $3 million cash-on-hand.
“The mayor’s campaign has continued to draw strong support from New Yorkers, raising more than $1 million over the last six months — putting the amount available to spend for his reelection at more than $8 million, which is close to the maximum allowed,” Vito Pitta, Adams’ campaign compliance attorney, said in a statement.
The mayor is effectively done fundraising, according to his campaign, because he is close to the CFB spending limit for participating in the matching funds program.
Adams has continued to have a vibrant fundraising operation even as his 2021 campaign is under federal scrutiny over potential collusion with the government of Turkey to funnel illegal foreign dollars into its coffers. Additionally, Adams is facing sinking poll numbers and blowback over a series of deep budget cuts to city services, which he and the City Council agreed to largely reverse.
City Comptroller Brad Lander is also expected to enter the fray in the next several weeks, the Daily News reported. Lander will also report his fundraising numbers, which he has amassed for another comptroller bid, but can be used for a mayoral run instead.
Lander has raised more than $651,000 for his comptroller reelection bid so far, but only currently has over $156,000 in available funds. But he is eligible for over $3 million in matching funds, according to his campaign.
The comptroller, who would occupy a similar lane to the left of Adams as Stringer and Myrie, could present a real challenge for two despite their fundraising, Coffey said. The left will want to rally around one candidate, he said, after endorsements and attention were divided amongst several in 2021.
“If Brad Lander gets into the race … it’s hard for me to see how at least Scott, but arguably either of them, can get the kind of attention that they need,” Coffey said. “The left has learned you can’t have 6 candidates and so they have a citywide elected that’s very very strong on the left, very well-liked by the institutional left running against Eric Adams, I assume that the left will mostly consolidate around Brad Lander.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also rumored to be mulling jumping into the race. For the past few months the state’s former chief executive has been appearing at Black churches in the five boroughs, where he has at times launched broadsides against the Adams administration.
