Tuesday, May 13`, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 37
NY1: Andrew Cuomo’s campaign has been hit with another campaign finance setback.
On Monday, Cuomo’s campaign was docked more than $622,000 in matching funds by the city’s Campaign Finance Board.
The reason: coordinating with an independent expenditure group, known as Fix the City, specifically on a television ad that ran earlier this month.
The ad allegedly pulls messaging from this now-deleted page on the Cuomo website, which explained that the former governor is the candidate to get the job done.
It’s a process known as red-boxing — where candidates discreetly direct independent expenditure groups on their websites to disseminate the right message to voters. It’s prohibited in New York City.
The page was difficult to find on the Cuomo website.
“The board investigation into this matter is ongoing and we will continue to evaluate the issue of improper coordination,” Richard Davis of the Campaign Finance Board said.
Despite the reprimand, the board still approved a $1.5 million payment for the Cuomo campaign in matching funds.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Cuomo campaign said, “Our campaign has operated in full compliance with the campaign finance laws and rules, and everything on our website was reviewed and approved by our legal team in advance of publication.”
A spokesperson for Fix the City said it followed the rules.
“The work undertaken by Fix the City, a fully independent expenditure committee, has taken place lawfully and without the insight or influence of any prohibited outside entities,” the spokesperson said.
The mayor was also denied matching funds again from the board on Monday. His campaign said it was exploring all legal options to get the cash, including court action.
