Records now show that the campaign of the socialist New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani accepted thousands in illegal campaign contributions from outside the United States. Could this be a nasty October surprise for Zohran Mamdani?
Maybe. But likely, not. The New York Post broke the story on Sunday.
Lefty socialist and mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani’s campaign quietly took in nearly $13,000 in potentially illegal foreign donations — including one from his mother-in-law in Dubai, The Post has learned.
At least 170 of the nearly 54,000 contributions to the leading Democratic candidate’s campaign came from donors with addresses outside the United States, an examination of NYC Campaign Finance Board records found.
Only US citizens or permanent legal residents are allowed to contribute to political campaigns and political action committees under federal, state and city law, and candidates are expected to return any of the illegal donations. Violators who knowingly accept foreign donations could face hefty fines and imprisonment.
$13,000 isn't exactly an overwhelming amount, compared to the $15.3 million the campaign has taken in. But it's not the amount that's at issue here; it's the law.
But so far, the campaign has failed to return 88 of the foreign donations worth a total of $7,190, records showed.
Mamdani’s campaign has brought in $4 million in private donations, scored another $12.7 million in public matching funds, and with less than a month to go before election day, has nearly $6.1 million in hand.
His campaign issued a statement Saturday saying “we will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law” after being provided a detailed breakdown of the 88 donations yet to be returned.
Fine, fine. Here's the real question: Will this affect the outcome of this mayoral race? And, sadly, the answer is, "probably not." Here's why.
First, Zohran Mamdani has a significant, if inexplicable and sad, lead in the polls over the other candidates. The RealClear Polling average on Sunday has him polling at 38.2 percent, compared to Andrew Cuomo's 23.2 percent, Curtis Sliwa's 16.6 percent, and the moribund campaign of Eric Adams is still polling at 10.4 percent. If all three candidates opposing Mamdani were to join forces and get behind Andrew Cuomo as (I can't believe I'm writing this) the better candidate, with the best chance of winning, they might just stand a chance. But with the election only a little over three weeks away, that doesn't seem likely.
Second, in one of the great ironies that we see sometimes in politics, Mamdani's campaign funding has long since outstripped his competitors, even if the illegal contributions are all returned. The Mamdani campaign, as noted above, has taken in $15.3 million. That's compared to Andrew Cuomo at $9.3 million, Eric Adams at $6.8 million, and Curtis Sliwa at $4.2 million. Now, money isn't everything. Her Imperial Majesty Hillary I, in the 2016 presidential contest, outspent Donald Trump by a wide margin, and that election ended with Trump victorious and Her Imperial Highness deep into a vodka bottle. But more money in the campaign coffers is better than less, and Mamdani has a lot.
Read More: Mamdani Wants to Axe New York's Gifted and Talented Schools - Guess Why
The Post presents a long list of illegal Mamdani donors. New York's Campaign Finance Board is reportedly auditing all of the campaigns city-wide. That's going to take some time - and as I noted, the election is in three weeks. While this is a troubling revelation to anyone who cares about, you know, the rule of law, this isn't an issue that carries a lot of weight with the left. If cheating helps them win, then so be it, and New York is a blue city. So, it looks like Zohran Mamdani is still leading in the final straightaway, with nothing in his path.
Then, there's this:
A campaign spokesperson, however, declined to clarify why so many foreign donations are still in Mamdani’s war chest.
You don't say.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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