Outside Money Flooded NYC Elections

New York City’s 2025 election cycle drew more than $83 million in independent expenditures, according to New York City Campaign Finance Board data and a post-election report released on September 1. About $65 million of that total was spent in the mayoral race, a level the Brennan Center for Justice described as nearly double the previous high-water mark for outside spending in that contest. The spending came from independent expenditure entities, commonly called super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited sums as long as they do not coordinate with candidates. Good-government groups said the scale of the spending renewed pressure for tougher disclosure rules and faster enforcement. ### Where did the $83 million figure come from? The Campaign Finance Board’s 2025 citywide independent expenditure summary shows outside groups spent more than $83 million across mayoral, borough president, comptroller, public advocate and City Council races. The same board’s “Follow the Money” portal says it tracks dollars raised and spent by candidates and outside groups and publishes disclosures and compliance information for city elections. (nyccfb.info) Citizens Union, responding on September 1 to the board’s 2025 post-election report, called the total “a record-breaking $83 million dollars in outside spending” in the 2025 New York City elections. Crain’s New York Business and other reports published after the election cycle also cited nearly $83 million in outside spending. (nyccfb.info) ### Why was the mayor’s race such a large share of that money? The Campaign Finance Board’s independent expenditure summary lists roughly $65 million in spending tied to the mayoral contest. The Brennan Center said the $65 million spent by super PACs and other outside groups in the mayoral race was nearly double the prior record. Several of the biggest spenders on the board’s list were focused heavily on the mayor’s race. (citizensunion.org) The summary shows Fix the City, Inc. spent more than $30.8 million, For Our City spent more than $7.47 million, Defend NYC spent more than $5.03 million, and New Yorkers for Lower Costs spent more than $3.4 million. Other entities on the board’s list included Hotel Workers for Stronger Communities, Affordable New York and HOUSING FOR ALL. (nyccfb.info) ### What does “outside money” mean in this case? Independent expenditure groups are allowed to spend money to support or oppose candidates without giving that money directly to campaigns. The Campaign Finance Board says its independent expenditure rules are meant to require disclosure and provide some of the strongest transparency requirements in the country. (nyccfb.info) Because the money is spent separately from campaigns, these groups can operate at a scale that candidates in the city’s public financing system cannot match. The Brennan Center said candidate spending was down compared with the last election while independent spending surged, making outside groups the biggest factor in the cost of the mayoral contest. (nyccfb.info) ### Who is warning that the money can be hard to trace? Citizens Union Executive Director Grace Rauh said on September 1 that the board’s report showed “55 major funders in 2025 were organizations that couldn’t be traced to any individual,” allowing super PACs to hide the donors behind their ads. Rauh said the City Council should adopt the board’s recommendations and move further to limit what she called the growing presence of outside money in city elections. (brennancenter.org) The Campaign Finance Board has proposed requiring disclosure of the original individual funders behind major independent expenditures, according to Citizens Union’s summary of the report. Rauh also said current penalties for independent expenditure violations are capped at $10,000, which she called a negligible cost for multimillion-dollar super PACs. (citizensunion.org) ### Did heavy outside spending decide the races? Citizens Union said in separate reports on the 2025 primary and general election that many super PAC-backed candidates still lost, including in the mayoral race and several down-ballot contests. The group argued that New York City’s matching-funds system helped candidates relying on small donors compete against outside spending. (citizensunion.org) Those findings came from advocacy groups, not from the Campaign Finance Board itself. The board’s own data establishes the scale of the spending and identifies the entities that paid for it, but it does not assign a single causal effect to the money. ### What happens next in the city’s campaign-finance fight? The Campaign Finance Board released its 2025 post-election report on September 1, 2026, and Citizens Union said the next step is for the New York City Council to consider legislation adopting the board’s disclosure and penalty recommendations. (citizensunion.org) The board’s post-election and enforcement materials say campaigns are audited after elections and that findings are published as part of that process. (nyccfb.info) (a860-gpp.nyc.gov)