Real estate players are showing up to back former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign for mayor.
During the most recent campaign donations filing period of July 12 to Aug. 18, Cuomo, who is running for New York City mayor as an independent following his June loss in the Democratic primary, raked in roughly $473,000 in donations, with about 11 percent — almost $54,000 — stemming from individuals in the real estate industry.
Cuomo’s real estate-derived total was second-highest among the candidates, who at the time included Mayor Eric Adams, also running as an independent, New York state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and campaign frontrunner, Curtis Sliwa and Jim Walden, who has since dropped out of the race.
Overall, real estate players poured some $144,200 into the candidates’ coffers during this last round of filings. The next round of campaign filings is Aug. 19 to Sept. 29, and candidates must report their donations by Oct. 3.
Fifteen of Cuomo’s 58 individual real estate donors this time around gave the maximum amount of $2,100. Among the donors this time around were: Charlie and Gaby Rosen, principals at RFR who each gave $2,100; Donna Olshan of Olshan Realty, who gave $250; and Curtis Bashaw, a hotelier who once ran for Senate. Bashaw donated $2,100 to Cuomo’s mayoral bid.
Many in the real estate industry are getting around the individual donation limit by funneling funds into super PACs. Cuomo also has a super PAC called Fix the City that has been fueling his campaign and was widely supported by the real estate industry. Following the primary, more PACs popped up, in particular to oppose Mamdani. Lightstone Partners gave $150,000 to one such PAC in July.
Adams, who had the greatest share of real estate-related donations during the last filing period, received a boost in donations from the industry following Cuomo’s loss in June. That has since fallen off, and Adams, who reportedly may join President Donald Trump’s administration, continues to be plagued by legal scandals.
Here are the real estate-related donors who gave to Cuomo’s campaign from July 12 to Aug. 18.
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