Bloomberg, of course, is not the only very rich person trying to stop Mamdani from making it to Gracie Mansion. Since Cuomo kicked off his candidacy, super PACs backing the former governor have raised more than $40 million, with much of it coming from wealthy individuals and families. According to the Times, donors to pro-Cuomo super PACs include, in addition to Bloomberg, William and Ronald Lauder, of the Estée Lauder family; hedge fund managers Bill Ackman and Daniel Loeb; IAC chairman Barry Diller; and Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia.
Shortly before Eric Adams dropped out of the general election, a group of NYC’s richest landlords gathered in Midtown to meet with Cuomo and help him figure out how to beat Mamdani; the Times reports that the sit-down took place less than 24 hours after Jeff Blau, one of the biggest developers in the city, and his wife, Lisa, sent an email to their social circle saying, “Sorry for the late notice, but there is no more time for delay, discussion, or dithering—we must act decisively to ensure that the next mayor of New York is Andrew Cuomo. The only viable candidate with the experience, support, and gravitas to defeat Zohran Mamdani is Governor Andrew Cuomo.” (A spokeswoman for the Blaus declined the Times’ request to comment.)
Despite their efforts, Cuomo never managed to build enthusiasm for his candidacy. “Andrew doesn’t listen to anyone,” a senior ally to the former governor told Vanity Fair’s Chris Smith this month. “He wouldn’t do anything that he didn’t already know how to do.”
