Business leaders pouring cash into NYC mayoral race to beat Mamdani, but unclear who to back
The city’s wealthy powerbrokers are opening their pocketbooks to try to stop Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani from reaching City Hall — but it’s still not clear which alternative is the best bet for their cash.
This year’s mayoral race is shaping up to be the first competitive general election in years, with incumbent Mayor Adams running as an independent and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo still in the mix.
The stakes have been ratcheted up as members of the business community, taken by surprise at Mamdani’s upset victory in the primary, scramble to defeat him. But it’s unclear whether Cuomo, who lost by double digits to Mamdani in the primary, or Adams, whose first term was marred by a federal corruption indictment, is the better bet.
Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist, called the current situation a “solution looking for a problem” with the potential to backfire and wind up helping Mamdani.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/07/12/business-leaders-pouring-cash-into-nyc-mayoral-race-to-beat-mamdani-but-unclear-who-to-back/