Mayor Adams’ Reelection Campaign Raked in More Than $1 Million as Opponents Circle

Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign reported raising more than $1 million from 1,472 donors in the first half of 2024, a show of strength that outperformed his rivals in the 2025 mayoral race.

Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer and State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn), who’ve both announced exploratory committees, reported raising $412,000 and $326,000 respectively. Comptroller Brad Lander, who has said he is mulling a mayoral run, brought in $187,000.

The latest reports submitted to the city Campaign Finance Board Monday cover donations and expenditures dating back to January.

Public matching dollars on small donations made by New York City residents will ultimately amplify how much campaigns have to spend. Even before matching funds, Adams has more than $2.9 million in the bank. Mayoral campaigns in the matching funds program are permitted to spend up to $7.9 million in a primary election and another $7.9 million in a general.

“The mayor’s campaign has continued to draw strong support from New Yorkers,” said Vito Pitta, an attorney for Adams 2025 campaign.

The mayor’s expenditures over the past six months also showed that Adams continued to make payments to Brianna Suggs , who had served as his campaign’s chief fundraiser, even after the FBI raid of her Crown Heights home last November . Adams last fall said she was no longer fundraising for him.

Suggs’ company, Suggs Solutions LLC, received $40,000 from the Adams campaign between January and April, the latest filing shows. At a press conference Tuesday, Adams said Suggs is now doing administrative work for the campaign.

“She’s knowledgeable on it and I’m happy that she’s able to do that administrative part of the campaign,” Adams said.

Adams brought in hundreds of donations from New Yorkers, including celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, who gave $2,100 last week. But he also picked up donations from people outside of the city – including $16,200 from people affiliated with the Kraft family, who own the New England Patriots, records show.

This includes relatives and employees of The Kraft Group. All of the donations came in mid to late May, just days after Adams spoke with Pope Francis in Rome about Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism.

Adams also received $8,400 from members of the Dolan family, which owns Madison Square Garden, the Sphere in Las Vegas and MSG Sports, records show.

Staffers and other people close to the mayor were also on the donor list. Louis Molina, who’s held multiple jobs in the Adams administration including Department of Correction commissioner and now serves as head of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, gave $2,100 last week. Adams’ girlfriend Tracey Collins, a Department of Education administrator, gave $250 earlier this month.

In a stinging swipe at Adams, Stringer touted the 2,100 donations his campaign had attracted since he had announced in January that he was weighing a second run for mayor. Stringer’s first campaign imploded in 2021 following an allegation of sexual misconduct from a lobbyist who had worked on his public advocate campaign years earlier.

“New Yorkers are sick of failed promises, few tangible accomplishments, a middling vision, and a City Hall that bounces between incompetence, chaos, and petty corruption,” he said in a statement.

A campaign representative for Myrie, who entered the race two months ago , struck a more conciliatory tone.

“New Yorkers across all five boroughs are supporting Zellnor because they’re ready for strong, new leadership in City Hall,” said spokesperson Monica Klein.

FBI Scrutiny

The fundraising totals come at a challenging time for the first-term mayor. A poll late last year showed record-low approval from prospective voters.

Federal investigators appear to be scrutinizing campaign contributions to Adams’ 2021 campaign , removing documents from the home of his chief fundraiser Brianna Suggs last November using a warrant that, according to the New York Times, sought records related to funds from Turkish nationals. Also raided was the home of Rana Abbasova, an aide in Adams’ international affairs office who had worked on his 2021 campaign. Investigators temporarily seized the mayor’s phone and iPad as part of the probe.

In February, the FBI raided the homes of his Asian community liaison, Winnie Greco, and the offices of a Queens mall where THE CITY had identified falsified donations from employees.

A legal defense fund for Adams also released its latest filings on Monday, showing $379,060 raised between April 2 and July 3, with about $209,000 in expenses, mostly for legal services. Of the donations, $60,000 came from the Kraft family and others in Massachusetts in mid-May, the records show.

Adams has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, news about the ongoing probes — including a June report that a grand jury was reviewing evidence — has led to a growing crowd of Democratic challengers beginning to circle.

Others said to be considering running include former Gov. Andrew Cuomo , who resigned in 2021 following sexual harassment allegations from multiple women.

Cuomo still has a robust $7.8 million in his campaign account, some of which could be transferred to a city campaign fund. A spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Race for Comptroller?

Lander is currently running as comptroller but paid multiple firms for advice and research, including Berlin Rosen, the media consulting firm that helped former Mayor Bill de Blasio secure a primary victory in 2013.

If Lander does decide to jump into the mayoral fray, that will shake up the race for his seat, the second most powerful citywide office, tasked with auditing the city’s finances.

State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, who makes regular public appearances with Adams far beyond her Southwestern Queens district, has already announced she’s exploring a bid for that office . Rajkumar opened a committee for the comptroller’s office, CFB records show, and has received one contribution so far — $65 she gave herself, on July 5.

The day before, her comptroller account spent $15,500 on a video production company, the new filings show.

The New York Times reported Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso were likely to step into that race if Lander tosses his hat in the ring for mayor. Levine couldn’t be reached for comment.

Reynoso confirmed to THE CITY he was “deeply interested” in running for comptroller, but only if Lander ends up running for mayor, adding he “would never run against Brad.”

Additional reporting by Yoav Gonen.

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