FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Max Schulman, 347-861-4167, max@anatgerstein.com
Despite record $46 million in outside spending, candidates backed by small-dollar donors defeated big-money efforts in majority of competitive races across the city
To read the full report, click here
New York, NY (August 4, 2025) – Citizens Union today released a report revealing that despite record-breaking spending, Super PAC–backed candidates fell short in municipal primary elections up and down the ballot this June. Outside groups poured $46 million into efforts to influence election outcomes, but failed to elect their preferred candidates in a majority of competitive races, including the mayoral race and in key borough president and City Council contests. In many of these races, voters instead backed candidates who relied on New York City’s public matching funds program to amplify grassroots, small-dollar donations.
In eight major contests, including for Mayor, for Manhattan and Bronx Borough President, and for five City Council seats, outside groups spent more than $30 million on losing efforts. In each of these races, Super PAC-backed candidates were defeated by campaigns who relied more heavily on broader support from smaller contributors.
“It is inspiring to see voters across the city reject big-money spending and reward candidates who are attracting small-dollar donations from everyday New Yorkers,” said Grace Rauh, Executive Director of Citizens Union. “None of this would be possible without New York City’s nation-leading public matching program, which amplifies the voices of regular people. Citizens Union is proud to have advocated for a campaign finance system that allows working- and middle-class campaign donors to compete with big spenders.”
Highlights from the report include:
- Surge in Council spending: The sharpest growth in independent expenditures occurred in City Council races, where Super PACs spent $14.6 million — more than double the $6.6 million spent in 2021. But Super PACs failed to elect their preferred candidates in five of the nine competitive Council races with more than $300,000 in outside spending. Independent expenditure groups’ only successes in competitive contests were in City Council Districts 4, 13, 17, and 28.
- Small-dollar strength: Multiple candidates in major races defeated more well-resourced challengers by successfully leveraging small-dollar donations:
- Mayor: Zohran Mamdani secured 28,978 individual donations averaging $88, defeating his main opponent, Andrew Cuomo, who benefited from nearly $27 million in outside spending.
- Council District 30, Central Queens: Phil Wong received the most small donations, which averaged $84 each, besting Dermot Smyth, who benefited from nearly $700,000 in outside spending.
- Council District 1, Lower Manhattan: Councilmember Chris Marte leveraged support from 839 individual contributors to fend off a deluge of high-dollar spending – including $320,000 in Super PAC attacks and a self-funded bid from a challenger who opted out of the public matching funds program.
- Super PACs in safe seats: More than a dozen uncompetitive Council races were flooded with $6 million in independent expenditures, an approach that special interests may use to curry favor with sitting officials. Thirteen comfortable incumbents benefited from at least $99,000 in outside spending from well-resourced interests, with Councilmembers Darlene Mealy and Kevin Riley respectively boosted by $994,906 and $877,668 from Super PACs.
- Corporations spent more, unions less: Businesses gave $18.6 million this cycle, nearly triple their $5.5 million investment in 2021. Labor spending fell by half, totaling $5.3 million.
- Expensive votes: In Northwest Queens, Council District 21 candidate Yanna Henriquez received $864,000 worth of supportive spending from Super PACs and won 1,792 votes. The rate of spending was $482 per vote.
The report drew on the New York City Campaign Finance Board’s public databases and New York City Board of Elections reporting.
The full report is available here.
About Citizens Union
For more than a century, Citizens Union has been leading the fight for reform in New York. We are a non-partisan good government group that serves as a civic watchdog to combat corruption. We are New Yorkers from diverse backgrounds and political beliefs, united in our commitment to put the public interest ahead of all special interests. We work to ensure honest and accountable government, fair and open elections, and a civically engaged public. Principled and pragmatic, Citizens Union is an independent force for constructive reform, driving policy solutions to achieve responsible and responsive government in the City and State of New York.
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