Cuomo Super PAC Got $2.7 Million From Donors With Business Before the City
From The City: In New York City, candidates and companies on the official list of entities doing or seeking to do business with the City are prohibited from giving more than $400 to candidates for citywide office. However, the prohibition does not prevent those entities from giving large sums of money to Super PACs supporting citywide candidates. Fix the City, a PAC supporting former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign, has received large sums of money from individuals and companies on the list, including $1 million from DoorDash and hundreds of thousands of dollars from real estate developers. The city’s Campaign Finance Board has previously denied the Cuomo campaign $1.3 million in public funds for improper coordination with Fix the City, a decision the campaign is appealing.
With $122M spent, the 2025 governor’s race is already New Jersey’s most expensive
From the New Jersey Monitor: Yet another state election has broken spending records, as campaign spending for the New Jersey gubernatorial primary has exceeded $122 million. This total is more than double any previous gubernatorial primary in the state, and is greater than the amount spent on any general election, even adjusting for inflation. The candidates themselves have been outspent by outside spending groups, with the candidates spending nearly $55 million while the outside groups have spent more than $67 million, demonstrating the exceptional influence of such outside spending groups.
FEC fines Rep. Maxine Waters’ campaign for election violations
From OpenSecrets: The FEC, in 4-0 decision, voted to fine Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) $68,000 for violations of campaign finance law by her 2020 campaign. In addition to her campaign significantly understating hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions and expenditures, the campaign accepted $19,000 worth of excessive contributions, and made $7,000 worth of “prohibited cash disbursements.” The Waters campaign acknowledged the errors but called them unintentional errors due to staff shortages caused by the pandemic. The decision was one of the FEC’s last before entering an indefinite shutdown, as a resignation has dropped the 6-seat board down to 3 members, leaving it without a quorum.
Broader campaign spending with less public disclosure still looms in Louisiana
From the Louisiana Illuminator: The Louisiana Legislature is considering legislation that would further loosen the state’s already-lax campaign finance laws, and allow for more spending for things like gym and country club memberships, while requiring less transparency. The law has specific carveouts for expenses that the state’s ethics board has been investigating legislators for, including Mardi Gras celebrations in DC and private clubs, though it could be required for legislators to submit “a preponderance of evidence that the expense was not for personal use.” The law also increases the threshold at which a political donation has to be reported from $200 to $5,000.
