Mayor Adams denied public money for his re-election campaign

NEW YORK – Mayor Eric Adams was denied public matching funds for his re-election campaign Monday amid concerns about his fundraising practices, dealing a major setback to his bid for a second term.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board ruled Adams could not participate in a program that awards an 8-for-1 match of small-dollar donations, withholding as much as $4.3 million.

“After thoroughly reviewing all available information including the details of the indictment of Mayor Adams, the board has determined that there is reason to believe the Adams campaign has engaged in conduct detrimental to the matching-funds program in violation of law,” said Frederick P. Schaffer, the board’s chair.

Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges in September and is expected to go on trial in April; his top adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, resigned Sunday amid a grand jury investigation by prosecutors in Manhattan.

The mayor, who has seen his approval rating fall to a record low, is facing a difficult path to reelection next year, and the denial of matching funds places him at a significant disadvantage. He will have less money to spend on television advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts in a competitive race, and could be forced to devote more time to fundraising.

The board’s denial of matching funds is not unprecedented. John Liu, a top mayoral candidate in 2013, was denied $3.5 million in public matching funds after two campaign workers were convicted in a straw-donor scandal. The decision exacerbated his political problems, and he finished the Democratic primary race in fourth place.

The federal indictment against Adams accused him of soliciting and accepting straw donations for both his 2021 campaign and his 2025 re-election campaign. Prosecutors said he conspired with foreign nationals to illegally funnel money into his campaign coffers and his team encouraged businesspeople to have employees make donations and reimburse them.

Some elected officials and good government groups had called on the Campaign Finance Board to deny Adams public matching funds. Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, wrote a letter to the board this month arguing that the Adams campaign had shown a “persistent and pervasive disregard” for the law.

“It is incumbent on the board to exercise its discretion to address the myriad failings of Eric Adams to comply with the law by finding that he is ineligible for matching funds,” she wrote, “and so demonstrate to New Yorkers that no person is above the law.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.