A new report finds that Eric Adams has yet to appeal the Campaign Finance Board’s decision to deny his mayoral campaign matching public funds, despite repeatedly stating that he is taking action on the matter. New York City has one of the most generous programs of its kind in the country, offering up to eight dollars in public funds for every dollar raised by candidates for citywide office if they qualify.
The ongoing saga began last December when the CFB announced that Adams’ 2025 mayoral campaign would not be receiving around $4 million it requested under the matching funds program. At the time, the Board cited the “unusual circumstances” surrounding his campaign, given that he was criminally indicted on federal charges that, in part, rested on claims that he had abused the system in his 2021 campaign, having received matching funds for donations that federal prosecutors allege were illegal. In February, the CFB offered an additional reason for the denial, noting a $3 million difference between the incumbent mayor’s campaign paperwork and what it actually reported – about 40% of his total haul of $7.5 million.
Outwardly, Adams has walked the line between assuring that his campaign is doing well regardless of the CFB’s decision, and also that he is taking action to change it. Back in December, shortly after the decision was first announced, he pointed out to reporters that he was not the only candidate to have been denied funds and that it was “not unusual” at that stage of the campaign. Indeed, fellow candidate and City Comptroller Brad Lander was also denied matching funds at that time after missing a deadline to file documents requesting them, a momentary embarrassment which has been resolved.
Pressure has since mounted as former governor Cuomo has entered the race, drawing endorsements and funds from interests that had previously supported Adams in 2021. The incumbent mayor’s campaign fundraising has also fallen off a cliff, raising a paltry $19,000 over the past two months, according to the most recent disclosures. Adams has remained unfazed, pointing to the substantial coffers he already has. “People are catching up to me. I outpaced everyone,” he told reporters in his weekly press conference last Monday. “And we’re going to continue to fight to get our matching funds. But we know how to do this.”
According to the investigative outlet THE CITY, however, there’s not much fight at all. A review of correspondence between the CFB and the Adams campaign found that the campaign’s lawyer, Vito Pitta, sent the CFB an email requesting information on why the funds were being denied “in order to determine whether we will petition for reconsideration.” The CFB has since responded multiple times with their reasoning, pointing out their concerns over the indictment and the more recently revealed discrepancy in reported funds, while also reminding the campaign of its right to petition the board’s ruling, telling Pitta that the campaign “must state the grounds for reconsideration and may include a request to appear before the Board.”
Other than Pitta’s initial email, there are no further communications from the Adams campaign to the CFB. Pitta did not return THE CITY’s request for comment.
Adams may be confident enough in his war chest that he can shake off the lack of matching funds, but his closest rivals are not hard up. Former governor Cuomo’s campaign has raised more than $1.5 million since he announced less than a month ago (with another $2.3 million going to his Super PAC, mostly from real estate interests), while Democratic Socialist Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is sitting on an astounding $8 million, raised by “close to 18,000 individuals,” according to the candidate. The latest polling shows Adams trailing both Mamdani and Cuomo.
