Mayor Adams’ attempt to unlock campaign public matching funds was rejected, for a second time, on Wednesday by a Brooklyn Federal Court judge.
Judge Nicholas Garaufis upheld the city Campaign Finance Board’s decision to deny Adams more than $4 million in public matching funds, writing he did so “because the undisputed facts show that the CFB’s ineligibility determination is rational and that the CFB has met its burden to prove the constitutionality of its actions.”
“The ruling by Judge Garaufis affirms what the Campaign Finance Board independently determined: that Mayor Adams’ 2025 campaign failed to demonstrate eligibility for public matching funds,” board Chairman Frederick Schaffer said in a statement. “As stewards of taxpayer dollars, the board is committed to upholding the Campaign Finance Act and treating all candidates fairly and equally.”
This was the mayor’s second lawsuit filed against the board.
Despite dropping out of the mayoral race, Adams told the court this week that he still intended to seek the cash.
The mayor specifically mentioned the lack of public matching funds as a reason for exiting the race at his announcement Sunday, saying the Campaign Finance Board’s decision had “undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.”
The board first denied Adams the public cash in December 2024 because of his corruption indictment, which alleged in part that the mayor’s reelection campaign used illegal campaign donations to unlock matching funds.
After the case was dismissed, the board continued to deny Adams the funds, citing that it still had “reason to believe” the mayor broke the law and that the campaign had failed to comply with the board’s requests for records.
Adams has been fighting the Campaign Finance Board’s decisions in court since May.
The indictment was dropped at the behest of President Trump’s Justice Department on political grounds, not on the merits of the actual charges.
Since the case’s dismissal, the Campaign Finance Board has undertaken its own probe into the alleged campaign finance crimes, seemingly retracing some of the feds’ steps.
A spokesman for Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the city’s matching funds, candidates running for mayor can get donations from New Yorkers matched with taxpayer funds at an 8-to-1 rate up to $250.
With Chris Sommerfeldt
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