Empower NYC, which was launched by pro-Adams lawyer Abe George earlier this yr, has to this point spent greater than $330,000 on adverts, consultants and get-out-the-vote canvassing efforts because the mayor faces lengthy odds as an impartial candidate in November’s election.
The PAC has raised greater than $1 million to this point, reportedly with a concentrate on courting donors from the cryptocurrency sector, which Adams has been an enormous proponent of and is making an attempt to draw to New York. Amid continued political fallout from his corruption indictment, Adams has himself turned to the crypto sector to fundraise for his reelection bid.
Empower’s spending and fundraising figures are detailed in filings it submitted to the state Board of Elections.
However Empower NYC hasn’t disclosed in a well timed method its spending to the town’s Marketing campaign Finance Board — which may topic the PAC to critical fines.
By metropolis regulation, PACs — which might pump as a lot cash as they need into efforts advocating for political candidates — should begin reporting expenditures each Monday to the CFB as soon as they exceed $1,000 in spending on any given race.
Empower’s state filings present the PAC exceeded that stage on July 21, when it paid $6,000 to Marketing campaign Engine, a New Jersey-based fundraising advisor.
George stated Empower has “complied with all state and city requirements” as a result of it solely prior to now two weeks began spending on adverts and canvassing efforts aimed toward straight convincing “voters to support Eric Adams.”
That might nonetheless put Empower behind on at the least every week of CFB reporting, which George blamed on “login issues” the PAC has had with the board’s database. Furthermore, Empower’s state filings say all of its spending, together with all disbursements from July, has been made in furtherance of Adams’ reelection effort.
The filings weren’t accessible on the CFB’s web site Tuesday afternoon. A CFB spokesman declined to remark.
CFB penalty pointers say PACs that fail to report an expenditure on time can face fines of as much as 25% of the entire sum spent as soon as they’re greater than 5 days late on a disclosure.
Abe George. (John Taggart for New York Each day Information)
Based mostly on a evaluate of its state filings, Empower may face fines as excessive as $50,000 on account of some $200,000 in expenditures not being reported on time to the CFB, on prime of any extra penalties the board may impose.
Amongst Empower’s expenditures is a $50,000 Aug. 6 fee to GOTV OPS, Inc., a Brooklyn advisor that has been deploying canvassers on behalf of the PAC at hand out pamphlets urging New Yorkers to help Adams in November’s election. This week, the PAC drew criticism on-line after it emerged canvassers have been handing out a pamphlet that some stated made it seem to be David Dinkins, the ex-mayor who died in 2020, helps Adams’ reelection.
In contrast to campaigns, PACs can spend limitless quantities on backing a politician so long as they don’t in any means coordinate with the candidate on messaging and technique.
Certainly one of Empower’s principals, Eric Lerner, appeared on the similar crypto convention as Adams in Las Vegas in Could, the place he did an on-camera interview by which he favorably in contrast the mayor to President Trump and vowed to have the PAC “buy media ads and do social media marketing” to advocate for his reelection. As first reported by Politico, Lerner’s look raised eyebrows from watchdogs, who argued it gave at the least the looks of coordination.
A spokesman for Adams, who’s coping with his personal critical compliance points with the CFB, didn’t instantly return a request for remark Tuesday.
Initially Revealed: August 18, 2025 at 2:47 PM EDT
