On January 14, 2021, Andrew Yang announces his election as Mayor of New York during a news conference in Morningside Park. | AP Photo / Kevin Hagen
NEW YORK – The money race is increasing in New York City Mayor School.
A top-level political consultant is working to advance Andrew Yang’s candidacy, with the aim of raising $ 6 million for TV commercials – one of at least three political action committees to bring the current forerunner to City Hall to float.
Lis Smith, a senior adviser to Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, is in talks with potential donors and staff about forming a PAC that will work outside the city’s strict campaign funding limits to counter negative advertising against Yang. several people familiar with the calls told POLITICO.
She was a partner with Declaration Media, a national Democratic firm founded by a trio of veteran political agents: Admaker AJ Lenar, who worked on Obama’s presidential campaign; Meredith Kelly, communications director of Kirsten Gillibrand’s White House bid; and Trey Nix, campaign manager for the North Carolina Government, Roy Cooper.
Smith, who worked on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s re-election campaign in 2018, rushed to Yang’s defense as his rivals piled up.
“#Amateuruur,” she tweeted afterwards City Officer Scott Stringer’s press conference kicked off Monday Yang’s earlier tweet in support of a suppression of street vendors.
“Another, but equally bush league,” she adds and criticizes a press conference held by former City Hall attorney Maya Wiley, who promotes ethical reforms – a move that invited coverage of her own accidents during her work at Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Shrink, shrink, shrink, shrink,” Smith told New York Magazine in response to more criticism from Stringer. ‘Yang is too delicious; you can not beat him like that. It’s like punching a baby. ”
Smith is not alone in drafting PACs to increase Yang’s candidacy: two other groups recently submitted paper to the state Electoral Board for the same stated purpose.
Future Forward NYC is led by David Rose, a start-up investor who heads the corporate networking site Gust. Rose, who counts himself as a good friend of Yang, works with Kristie Stiles, a longtime Democratic fundraiser; Nicole Runge D’Ercole, managing partner at the admiring firm 4C Partners; Juan Peñalosa, senior adviser to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign; and John Robinson, chief operating officer for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns.
In a March 25 memorandum to prospective donors, Rose deplores the constraints Yang faces by participating in the city’s campaign funding program – which is accompanied by a significant increase in publicly supported funds in return. for agreeing to donations. (In this regard, Yang is hardly unique – only one candidate in the eight-way Democratic primary works outside the system.)
“With investments from generous individuals and organizations, we can ensure that Yang’s message is heard by enough voters to make sure he exceeds the 50% threshold to win the June 22 Democratic primary,” Rose wrote in the memo. , acquired by POLITICO.
According to the new rankings, voters can choose up to five mayoral candidates. If no one gets 50 percent of the votes in the first count, second place starts for disqualified candidates.
Rose said his group would test campaign messages “to see what undecided primary voters are moving to Yang” and “launch paid voter contact programs on all platforms.”
“I have known Andrew for years and knew he was something special from the first time I met him during the early days of Venture for America,” Rose wrote in an email to POLITICO, referring to Yang’s former non-profit organization. “He is an optimist who will get the city back on its feet, and an entrepreneur who will meet this critical moment with confidence.”
Asians for NY also supports Yang with two city council candidates – Sandra Ung and Richard Lee. The group did not raise or spend money, and its treasurer, Nelson Leung, did not respond to a request for comment.
At least one PAC does not share warm feelings towards Yang: Our City, a group formed by Justice Democrat Gabe Tobias, is starting to raise money to counter Yang’s rise in the polls.
“We want to make sure that a progressive candidate wins the mayoral race and make sure that no voters vote for a conservative, non-progressive candidate, and that is definitely Andrew Yang,” Tobias recently told POLITICO.
These groups are the latest to pledge an unlimited flood of cash in the race, and campaign funding laws prohibit PACs from coordinating with the campaigns.
Food & Water Watch, an environmental organization that endorsed Stringer in January, recently formed a PAC in support of its campaign.
An independent spending committee backed by former Obama and Bloomberg official Shaun Donovan received $ 2 million from the candidate’s father and earmarked even more, with a planned $ 3 million TV ad, according to data from AdImpact .
A PAC backed by Wall Street CEO Ray McGuire has raised $ 4 million and spent more than $ 1.6 million on TV and radio spots.
Other affluent New Yorkers are starting the action.
The billionaire Stephen Ross, who owns the development firm The Related Cos. Management, gave his own PAC half a million dollars – far from the $ 100 million he originally said he would spend on this race.
Knicks owner James Dolan has raised $ 1.6 million for his Coalition to Restore New York, one organization that is unlikely to support Yang.