Small-dollar donors largely funded Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory, but the transition is getting a bigger boost from folks with deeper pockets.
So far, 244 donors gave the maximum $3,700, contributing a combined $902,800 to the mayor-elect’s transition committee – nearly 35% of the committee’s total fundraising haul as of its first filing, according to documents filed with the New York City Campaign Finance Board. The committee can continue to accept donations through the end of January.
The big-ticket donors include a high-end jeweler and prominent figures in media and entertainment. Their contributions, both directly and as intermediaries gathering donations from others, show Mamdani’s appeal is not limited to the grassroots so closely associated with his campaign. Wealthy supporters in New York City and around the country are also investing in the incoming administration’s success.
“ We are looking to raise the money necessary to have a successful transition and to be ready on day one to deliver on the needs for working New Yorkers,” Mamdani said Tuesday.
In a video released on Tuesday, Mamdani said his committee has raised $3.5 million from 30,000 donors, which includes donations not yet included in disclosure statements. The haul exceeds the total amounts raised by Mayors Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio when they assumed office. Mayor Michael Bloomberg self-funded his transition committees.
Mamdani emphasized that the vast majority of donations came from small-dollar contributors. But unlike the campaign, the transition and inauguration lack a matching funds program meant to encourage small donations.
Enter the maxed out donors like California-based Rami Elghandour, CEO of the biotech firm Arcellx seeking to cure cancer; Paul Jacobs, head of the Nasdaq-listed telecommunications firm Globalstar; and Connecticut-based Ahmed Khattak, founder of US Mobile.
Notable names from the arts and media world also gave $3,700 donations, including Ruhin Hossain, the publisher of popular Bangla newspaper Thikana News and founder of the telecom company River. Others include Andrew Jarecki, the Emmy-award winning filmmaker of “The Jinx”; “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner; and fashion stylist and host Stacy London.
So far, six people have served as intermediaries for Mamdani’s transition helping raise additional money for the committee. The biggest bundler is Brooklyn-based jewelry designer Alexis Bittar, who helped the campaign raise nearly $164,000, including his own max donation.
Neil Barsky, founder of the Marshall Project and maker of the film “Koch,” gave $3,700 and helped the committee raise another $14,800.
Overall, the filings show the average contribution to the committee is just $94, a starkly lower amount compared to Mamdani’s predecessors. The 884 donors to Adams’ transition gave an average of $1,219. De Blasio’s 820 donors gave an average of $2,392.
So far, Mamdani’s transition committee has spent $673,124 primarily to pay the salaries of staff working on his transition. The committee has another $129,670 in outstanding liabilities. If the committee were to continue its current rate of spending, that would bring its expenditures to roughly $1.6 million through the end of December, far below the $4 million Mamdani has said he’s trying to raise.
But soon, the committee is expected to release more information about Mamdani’s inauguration, which comes with a big price tag. The ceremonial event traditionally takes place on New Year’s Day, and has often been held on the steps of City Hall.
A spokesperson for the transition committee did not respond to a Gothamist request about how the committee plans to spend all of its money.
Mamdani was coy about his plans on Tuesday, saying when the committee has details to release about the inauguration, it’ll share them.
“ It's an inauguration that we want New Yorkers to understand, not just as mine but also as theirs, of a new era in this city,” Mamdani said.
After handing out handwarmers to reporters at his press conference on Tuesday, the city’s coldest day since March, Mamdani was asked if the inauguration will be held outside.
“This morning is definitely prompting some difficult questions,” he joked.
Ballot Box
This week we're wondering: Should Mayor-elect Mamdani hold his inauguration outside?
Last week we asked: How much should a beer cost at Yankee Stadium?
“They should go ‘around the horn’ and ask other MLB teams how much THEY charge for beer, then calculate the average and charge the final results.”
- Steven, Manhattan
“$10.”
- Rona, Brooklyn
“$3 or $4.”
- Marcia, Manhattan
“$6. In most of the world, beers at events are only slightly more expensive than at the grocery store.”
- Jordan, Brooklyn
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(2) Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is running for governor, which will make for a competitive Republican primary. Here’s why.
(3) New York lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress that would bar U.S. Department of Homeland Security officers without judicial warrants from arresting migrants attending federal immigration court proceedings. Here are the details.
(5) New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor resigned on Monday, leaving it unclear who will now serve as the state’s acting U.S. attorney. Here’s what happened.
(6) Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji will be leaving their rent-stabilized Astoria apartment to live in Gracie Mansion following his inauguration. Here’s more on his move.
(7) One more Mamdani story before we go: NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch apologized to the mayor-elect for comments her brother made. Here’s what he said.
