A group of American millionaires is trying to provide a financial boost to Andrew Cuomo, the independent candidate for mayor of New York City, who is the rival of the frontrunner in the polls, the socialist democrat Zohran Mamdani, in the final stretch before the elections on Tuesday, November 4. The latest of them is the magnate and former mayor Michael Bloomberg, who yesterday endorsed Cuomo and donated $1.5 million to finance his campaign to a super PAC (political action committee that can raise funds) called Fix the City, which has accumulated $32 million in 'anti-Mamdani' efforts. According to that entity's page, formed by Cuomo's allies, of the $32 million received, about $17 million has been spent on campaign actions favorable to the independent candidate, mainly after he lost the Democratic primaries against Mamdani, and $9 million on the offensive against him. Bloomberg had already invested more than $8 million in Cuomo's failed Democratic primary campaign, a former moderate governor like himself, so his donations represent almost a third of that group's funds. Other millionaires who have donated to the entity include the magnates Bill Ackman and Dan Loeb (finance), Ronald Lauder (cosmetics), Barry Diller (media), Steve Wynn (casinos), and Alice Walton (supermarkets), according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board's platform. In addition to the Fix the City super PAC, which has raised the most, there are other smaller committees that are also dedicating their resources to boosting Cuomo and attacking Mamdani, such as Defend NYC, which has accumulated about $2.5 million, and New Yorkers for a Better Future with $1.5 million, their websites indicate. Mamdani has proposed progressive measures to address the high cost of living in New York, such as opening markets with subsidized food, making the bus network free, and also making the childcare system free. One of Mamdani's tools to finance these measures is to raise taxes on the rich, the slogan of the democratic socialist wing, including an additional 2% for those earning more than $1 million, something that has generated criticism from the 'establishment' and fears of a corporate exodus. Meanwhile, the Campaign Finance Board's platform shows pro-Mamdani super PACs with much smaller fundraising, totaling around $3 million, from numerous small donations, and led by the New Yorkers for Lower Costs entity ($2.7 million).
