For the primary time on this 12 months’s mayoral race, a pro-Andrew Cuomo tremendous PAC is launching an assault advert marketing campaign focusing on Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa — and the hassle is aimed, specifically, at luring Russian-speaking voters away from the GOP nominee.
The net of pro-Cuomo tremendous PACs energetic within the 2025 race, which have raised tens of tens of millions of {dollars} amongst them, have spent the cash virtually solely on efforts to both advocate for Cuomo’s candidacy or rail towards Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani.
A flyer from a pro-Andrew Cuomo tremendous PAC focusing on Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa geared toward Russian-speaking voters. (Obtained by Day by day Information)
The shift to an anti-Sliwa posture from the New Yorkers for a Higher Future Mayor 25 tremendous PAC comes as Cuomo and others have pressured the GOP nominee to drop out of the race, arguing he wants to take action for the ex-governor to have an actual shot at defeating Mamdani within the Nov. 4 election.
Sliwa has been steadfast in rejecting the requires him to drag out, saying he’ll keep in it doesn’t matter what. Early voting within the Nov. 4 contest begins Saturday, and polls have persistently proven Mamdani defeating Cuomo by double digits, with Sliwa trailing each of them in third place.
With the prospect of Sliwa exiting the race showing unlikely, New Yorkers for a Higher Future Mayor 25 — which has raised greater than $1.5 million to this point — positioned a $100,000 purchase on Saturday to run an anti-Sliwa advert in Russian on Fb, Google and different digital platforms, disclosures present.
Mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa. (Barry Williams/NYDN and Theodore Parisienne/NYDN)
Leb stated the PAC is particularly focusing on Russian-speaking communities as a result of they have a tendency to lean extra conservative and customarily vote Republican in native elections, in the event that they take part in any respect.
“No one has been focusing on the Russian-speaking communities except for the Sliwa campaign,” stated Leb.
To that finish, Leb instructed Cuomo — who all however actually must develop his voter base to have a combating probability towards Mamdani — might compete with Sliwa for Russian-speaking voters due to his PAC’s efforts. Leb stated his crew has recognized “around 200,000 voters” they’re going to attempt to goal with the most recent outreach push.
Leb’s PAC is being funded by actual property companies just like the Lightstone Group and hedge fund managers like Daniel Loeb, amongst others. Leb’s entity is coordinating its actions with Repair the Metropolis, one other pro-Cuomo outfit that’s the biggest tremendous PAC working this 12 months.
Sliwa dismissed the outreach to Russian-speaking voters, saying he’s assured within the “grassroots support” he has in-built that group.
“The Russian community, like so many others, is near and dear to me, and if the powers that be are targeting them to try to hurt my campaign, it only shows how panicked they are because they won’t fall for it,” stated Sliwa, who has commonly appeared on Russian-speaking media shops all through the marketing campaign.
Mamdani’s marketing campaign didn’t instantly return requests for remark. A spokesman for Cuomo, who by legislation can’t coordinate with any tremendous PACs supporting his mayoral run, declined to remark.
Cuomo, who’s working as an unbiased in subsequent month’s election, has out of the mayoral candidates by far benefitted essentially the most from exterior spending on this cycle.
On prime of the Leb entity and Repair the Metropolis, a brand new group of anti-Mamdani and pro-Cuomo tremendous PACs launched final week which have been boosted by greater than $3.2 million contributed by an entity managed by a trio of rich New York businessmen.
A kind of PACs, For Our Metropolis, disclosed in a brand new submitting Tuesday that it spent $750,000 over the weekend on a brand new TV advert that accuses Mamdani of not being an actual Democrat, pointing to his previous criticism of ex-President Barack Obama and ex-Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Zohran Mamdani is not who you think he is,” a voiceover says within the TV advert.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has been endorsed for mayor by Harris.
