Bloomberg's $5 million donation
BILLIONAIRE BLOOMBERG DROPS THE BIG BUCKS: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg was no fan of Andrew Cuomo when the two served overlapping tenures as mayor and governor. But on Friday all appeared forgiven, with Bloomberg's $5 million donation to a super PAC boosting Cuomo's mayoral bid, POLITICO reports.
It's the largest cash infusion yet to the entity and comes in the final 10 days of the Democratic primary to oust Mayor Eric Adams, once a Bloomberg ally. The former mayor — a party hopscotcher who is now a Democrat — is jumping in as Cuomo faces a threat from democratic socialist challenger Zohran Mamdani, whose views on hiking taxes on the rich and criticisms of Israel are anathema to Bloomberg.
The donation dovetails with the former mayor's endorsement of Cuomo this week and arrives at a critical time for the ex-governor, as he tries to mount a comeback to lead the nation's largest city.
Mayor Bloomberg said it best in his endorsement: there is 'one candidate whose management experience and government know-how stand above the others.' We agree, and we greatly appreciate the Mayor's commitment to ensuring a safe and affordable New York and preserving and building on the Bloomberg legacy by electing Andrew Cuomo,' said Fix the City spokesperson Liz Benjamin.
Bloomberg and Cuomo, longtime rivals, now find themselves united by a mutual loathing of the Democratic Party's left flank. After conversations between their aides, the men met earlier this week following Cuomo's Bloomberg TV interview, someone familiar with the sitdown confirmed.
The donation to the Cuomo-supporting super PAC Fix the City adds to Bloomberg's $2.6 million contributions this election cycle to groups supporting City Council candidates who back charter schools, long a pet issue for the former mayor.
Mamdani represents the opposite of a Bloomberg-style ideal to lead the city: A 33-year-old state lawmaker with a thin resume, an upstart challenger once considered a long shot who wants to hike taxes on rich New Yorkers and has supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israeli goods.
And so Bloomberg set aside his long-standing animus toward the former governor and instead praised his extensive managerial experience — Cuomo's calling card in the race.
The leading contender has stepped up his criticism of Mamdani in recent days by pointing to his paltry legislative record in Albany and questioning whether the young lawmaker has the chops to stand up to President Donald Trump. The Cuomo campaign on Thursday released a TV ad underscoring both points, and Cuomo raised them during a caustic debate Thursday night.
Some polls show a tightening race in the crowded field, following months of double-digit leads for Cuomo.
Helmed by Steve Cohen, a longtime Cuomo confidant, the pro-Cuomo super PAC has received contributions from wealthy hedge fund managers, real estate developers and Trump supporters like Bill Ackman. Its largest donation until Friday was $1 million from the online delivery firm DoorDash.
The group has spent more than $10 million on TV and streaming ads, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. And with this donation, it has raised more than $18 million since forming in March.
Spending by the super PAC against Mamdani has backfired in recent days, after a never-sent mailer criticizing the democratic socialist included a doctored photo of him with a darker, heavier beard. Mamdani accused the group of stoking 'the very fears of that division in this city.' A spokesperson for the PAC said the mailer was 'rejected for production and subsequently corrected.'
The entity has also attracted scrutiny from campaign finance regulators who are probing whether Cuomo's campaign improperly communicated with the super PAC through a practice known as 'redboxing' on the candidate's website. Spokespeople for Cuomo and Fix the City have insisted campaign finance laws have been followed. — Nick Reisman
From the Capitol
PRISON REFORM PASSES: A suite of prison reform measures drafted in the wake of inmate Robert Brooks' killing at the hands of correction officers passed both Houses of the state Legislature late last night, a win for lawmakers calling for increased accountability inside the prison system.
'For decades, New York's state prisons have been plagued by a systemic pattern of racism, staff violence towards incarcerated individuals, and human rights abuses, with little to no accountability or oversight,' said state Sen. Julia Salazar, chair of the Senate's correction committee and sponsor of the legislation.
The reforms passed in an omnibus bill, which included a measure to require camera surveillance in almost all areas of state prisons and another to expand the makeup of the State Commission of Correction. Charged with overseeing the prison system, the commission must now include individuals with backgrounds in behavioral health, criminal defense or prisoners' rights, as well as at least one formerly incarcerated person.
To the dismay of advocates, other measures aimed at allowing inmates to leave prison early didn't cross the finish line, including a bill to allow inmates with long-term sentences to apply for judges to take a 'second look' at their case and another to ensure most individuals eligible for release on parole are released.
'There is more work to do, including an expansion of pathways for release, but this is progress, it will make a difference, and I'm proud to stand behind it,' the lawmaker said. — Jason Beeferman
BRAGG GETS HIS WISH: A measure Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is pushing for to reduce recidivism also passed the Assembly last night after the Senate approved it Wednesday.
The SUPPORT Act, sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Tony Simone, prevents those found mentally unfit to stand trial for non-felony crimes from being immediately released without treatment.
The bill was one way for Bragg to refute the Republican narrative that Democrats' power over the criminal justice system — including the 2019 reforms that brought cashless bail — has enabled repeat offenders. The measure aims to ensure those who are mentally unfit for trial do not reoffend.
'By passing the SUPPORT Act, both houses declared with one voice that supportive services and mental health care are critical to long-term community safety,' Bragg said in a statement. 'This bill will ensure that those discharged from the hospital after being found unfit to stand trial are referred to effective longer-term care.' — Jason Beeferman
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
LANDER AND MAMDANI CROSS ENDORSE: Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander, the highest-ranking progressive candidates in the race, endorsed each other Friday, one day after the final Democratic primary debate during which both attacked Cuomo. The former governor saved most of his fire for Mamdani, who is nipping at his heels in the final stretch of the race.
In backing each other, the two candidates each urged his supporters to rank the other second as they seek every advantage before early voting begins Saturday.
And it comes as the Working Families Party encourages its other endorsed candidates to formally combine forces — something the campaigns have avoided until now.
'Today's cross-endorsement is probably the most impactful,' Ana María Archila, New York Working Families Party co-director, told POLITICO in an interview Friday.
She sidestepped criticism of two other party-backed candidates — state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams — for not joining in the cross-endorsement.
'I know that Zellnor really cares about how to guide his voters. I know that the speaker really cares about how to guide her voters,' Archila said. 'It's really a candidate-to-candidate conversation, and because of that, it's very particular to the dynamics between the candidates.'
When asked about the possibility of a cross-endorsement, Adams told PIX11 News this week, 'I am still considering all of the options available.'
Cuomo, until recently appeared locked in a two-person race with Mamdani, a democratic socialist state lawmaker. But Lander, the city comptroller, had a good week with a strong debate performance.
An internal poll conducted by the Working Families Party showed a majority of respondents said an endorsement from their first-choice candidate would greatly impact who they rank second. The party endorsed a four-person slate in March, and placed Mamdani first, Lander second, Adams third and Myrie fourth two weeks ago. At the time, they ranked state Sen. Jessica Ramos fifth but she has since endorsed Cuomo and is off the WFP's slate.
Read more from POLITICO's Emily Ngo about the cross-endorsement shaking up the race
TEACHERS UNION SITS OUT PRIMARY: The city's teachers union is declining to make an endorsement in the Democratic primary, citing a lack of clear consensus among members.
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew told Playbook education is typically the top issue. But this time around, the endorsement process was preceded by concerns over how the city is being run, affordability and dealing with the Trump administration.
The union then surveys members to see which candidate does the best on each issue with the goal of building consensus, then having bodies like the union-wide Delegate Assembly — chapter leaders and delegates — weigh in. But 'we could never get there,' Mulgrew said.
'On education, the candidate they trust the most and they feel knows the information and would be really good for education is Scott Stringer,' he said. 'But on running of the city, it's Cuomo. On affordability, it's Mamdani. On fighting the Trump administration, it's Cuomo. And both of them [Mamdani and Cuomo] are polarizing figures for different people. At that point, we couldn't even get close to consensus.'
He said a controversial pension plan Cuomo instituted as governor is 'an issue for us.' But members, he said, were moved by his recent pledge to roll it back — and his support for boosting pay for paraprofessionals, teacher aides who assist students with disabilities.
'That actually had an effect on a lot of members and moved them towards Cuomo,' he added.
It's not the first time the union has declined to make a mayoral endorsement. The UFT skipped several races, and has not backed a successful candidate since 1989. An endorsement of Cuomo, the frontrunner, would have likely ruffled feathers with members wary of his past education agenda that included an overhaul of the state's teacher evaluation system.
Mulgrew declined to say which candidate he would have personally wanted to endorse. — Madina Touré
FROM CITY HALL
ERIC ADAMS SAYS NO FEDS: With a wave of anti-Trump protests expected across New York City this weekend, Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commisioner Jessica Tisch said they don't expect intervention from federal agents.
'We have made it clear to the federal government that just three simple words: 'We got this,' Adams said at today's security briefing.
The upcoming protests are part of 'No Kings Day,' a nation-wide event in objection to the Trump administration and coinciding with the president's multimillion-dollar military parade in Washington on Saturday. The commander in chief warned that protesters during the weekend's demonstration would be met with 'very heavy force.'
Adams and Tisch's assurances come as thousands of National Guard troops remain in Los Angeles to quell protests against Trump administration immigration policies, despite forceful objections from state and local authorities. — Amira McKee
IN OTHER NEWS
— STRAW DONOR SCHEME: A candidate for Assembly from Queens last year, Dao Yin, was charged with using fake donations and forged signatures to get more matching funds. (The New York Times)
— 'WE HAVE TO KILL YOU': State Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar made a threatening phone call to NY-21 Republican hopeful Anthony Constantino, who says his top political aide mysteriously had his brakes cut. (Watertown Daily Times)
— MORE DELGADO RESIGNATION CALLS: A second state lawmaker, Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein, is calling for the lieutenant governor and gubernatorial candidate to resign. (Times-Union)
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