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Mamdani Raises $304K, Declines New York City Matching Funds

The campaign’s choice to forgo public matching lets it accept larger $4,350 donations and raises the prospect of higher spending caps for rivals.

Overview

  • The mayor’s first 2029 campaign filing shows $304,641 in receipts from about 5,874 contributors through July 11 and an average gift near $52.
  • Mamdani confirmed Thursday that his campaign will not participate in the city’s public matching-funds program, a move that removes the $2,500 cap on individual donations for participants and allows $4,350 checks to be accepted.
  • The filing shows 29 maxed $4,350 contributions totaling $126,150—about 42% of monetary contributions—while roughly 85% of transactions were $25 or less by count.
  • Campaign disbursements in the period totaled about $204,136 with the CFB estimating a balance near $100,505 and the largest vendor payments going to digital and consulting firms.
  • Good-government groups criticized the opt-out for weakening small-donor incentives and warned that if a nonparticipant raises or spends past set thresholds it could lift spending caps and reshape how campaigns compete in 2029.