With just a few weeks to go before Primary Day, some top-tier mayoral candidates are entering the last final stretch with a healthy chunk of money, while others are struggling. We broke down the latest figures from the city Campaign Finance Board (CFB) show to give a sense of the financial shape these candidates are in, their funding streams, and where these dollars are going.
HOW MUCH MONEY HAS EACH CANDIDATE RAISED & SPENT
The map below shows Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in the best financial shape, holding onto $5.2 million in cash, with city Comptroller Scott Stringer, and former Wall Street financier Ray McGuire not too far behind. But coming in dead last is Maya Wiley, the civil rights attorney whose campaign is holding onto just $1 million.
In the below graph the right arrow shows how much was raised and the left arrow shows what remains. It's worth noting that while the graph shows McGuire had raised $9.7 million, he has a total of $11.7 million in funds after taking out a $2 million loan. Also, the figures don't yet reflect the matching funds the candidates are poised to receive by the end of this week.
WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?
The table below shows candidates have dedicated a large chunk of their funds toward television ads, with Stringer and Andrew Yang budgeting millions of dollars for ad buys. Though McGuire's campaign shows it has spent $854,716 in ads, he has also spent more than $4 million on campaign consultants, some of whom specialize in producing these ads.
While Wiley may be among the top candidates with the least amount of money, figures show she has spent the most on staff — a total of $1.2 million, more than any other candidate.
It's also worth noting that internal polling has been a big line item for some of the candidates. They include former housing secretary Shaun Donovan, former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia, Yang, Stringer, and Adams all setting aside money to determine their place in the race.
WHO HAS THE MOST DONORS?
While candidates are measuring the strength of their campaigns through internal polls, they might also determine their popularity through the number of contributors. So far, it appears Yang has the highest number of donors, followed by Wiley. But that's also because the candidates are not getting much from their contributors. For example, 684 people have contributed less than $5 to Yang, lending the appearance of broad support. Wiley had 486 donors giving $5 or less. While Yang does have the highest number of donors giving $5 or less, he also has the most number of donors giving $100 and up. And while McGuire has the most funds, with $11.7 million (with help from that $2 million loan), he has the fewest number of donors. Take a look:
Donations have been sizable for McGuire, who is raising funds without help from the CFB's matching funds program. The graph shows 89% of his donors have contributed $1,000 or more to his campaign (the maximum allowable individual contribution is $5,100). Donovan has the second-most number of donors giving $1,000 or more:
WHERE ARE THE DONORS LOCATED?
While candidates are getting their money from all over the country, just how much money they receive from New York City residents can give a glimpse into how strong their local support is. Below is a map showing just where the funds are originating in New York City per candidate. Once again, the Upper West Side and Upper East Side have been a key funding source, with McGuire coming out on top.
But Brooklyn has come out for other candidates including Dianne Morales, Donovan, Garcia, and Adams. Yang has found success in Queens, while Stringer has the most Bronx support.
Donors with the title of attorney have been kind to the mayoral candidates, particularly for McGuire, Stringer, and Yang pulling in six-figure totals from those in the legal world.
THE BIG BREAKDOWN
Finally a full breakdown of the candidates totals, the number of donations, and size of their donations. Yang is leading on the donation front.
The primary is on June 22nd. Still undecided? Here's a guide to help.
