Speaker Adrienne Adams has raised over $128,000 for her mayoral bid, according to her campaign — but it’s not enough to garner her matching funds.
Nearly 1,130 donors, including 875 donors in New York City, gave to her campaign in just five days, according to the campaign.
The speaker said at a press conference Wednesday that she didn’t expect to meet the threshold for the city’s 8-to-1 matching program, which requires candidates to reach $250,000 in matchable donations from 1,000 local donors.
“We have been aggressive fundraising for less than a week, so put that together as far as what we’re doing on how we’re working,” Adams said at a press conference. “But we do expect to receive matching funds in time.”
The next matching funds payout, though, is not until late May — a potential hurdle for her campaign as she vies against candidates who have been fundraising for months and have already qualified for the matching funds.
The speaker, once considered an ally to Mayor Adams, launched her campaign against him earlier this month. She entered the race on the heels of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Adams filed paperwork to open a campaign account in late February, but that account couldn’t accept donations until March 6, according to Lupe Todd-Media, her campaign spokesperson.
The campaign is aiming to employ a “rose garden strategy” — emphasizing her accomplishments as leader of the City Council — to boost her candidacy, according to a campaign memo shared with the Daily News.
“As Speaker, she will continue to deliver real results while others are stuck campaigning,” the campaign memo reads, listing off her opposition to budget cuts, support for 3-K and CityFHEPS vouchers and work passing “City of Yes.”
