Day: November 8, 2025

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dark money in mamdani’s campaign

Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, primarily through two opposing narratives: accusations that his campaign benefited from illegal foreign donations and Super PAC coordination, and his own claims that he was the target of large-scale “dark money” spending by billionaire opponents.”Dark money” has been a significant point of contention surrounding
Accusations Against Mamdani’s Campaign
Illegal Foreign Donations: Several reports indicated that the Mamdani campaign received nearly $13,000 from non-U.S. citizens or residents, which violates U.S. election law. The donations, from approximately 170 individuals, included a contribution from his mother-in-law in Dubai which was later refunded. A campaign spokesperson stated they would return any non-compliant donations.
Super PAC Coordination Allegations: A complaint was filed with the NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) alleging that Mamdani’s campaign illegally coordinated with at least $1.8 million in Super PAC spending. The complaint claimed that overlapping vendors, timeframes, and targeting between the campaign and independent expenditure committees like “We the People” and “America for All WFP National PAC” suggested coordination, which is a violation of campaign finance law.
Calls for Investigation: Republican figures, including former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, called for a Department of Justice investigation into Mamdani’s campaign finances over the “dark money” and foreign national funding claims.
Mamdani’s Counter-Narrative
Mamdani has consistently framed himself as a target of “dark money” and “election interference” by wealthy, out-of-state interests and billionaires who sought to stop his progressive mayoral bid.
Billionaire Opposition: Mamdani pointed to the “blizzard” of outside spending from billionaires like Michael Bloomberg, Barry Diller (via Expedia/Airbnb), and Bill Ackman as evidence of “dirty money” in the race. These individuals and their associated Super PACs (e.g., “Fix the City”) spent millions on attack ads against Mamdani and in support of his opponent, Andrew Cuomo.
Public Financing Stance: Mamdani used the NYC public financing system as a core part of his platform to combat the influence of corporate cash and large private donations. He has argued that the extensive use of public matching funds is an effective strategy to counter the impact of “dark money” and special interests in American politics.
Ultimately, the debate over “dark money” has been a two-sided issue in the Mamdani campaign, with both his opponents and his campaign accusing the other side of being influenced by undisclosed or improper funding sources.

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 8, 2025