Latest news with #TuskStrategies
Politico
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Politico
Andrew Cuomo retools campaign after Democratic primary loss
Cuomo, however, failed to mount a vigorous effort for what his supporters hoped would be a vindication after four years in the political wilderness. He zoomed around the city in his Dodge Charger and largely avoided mass transit. He shunned reporters and avoided their questions. He skipped many public forums with his Democratic opponents. A relaunch is meant to fix those problems. Cuomo — who declined in a televised debate to apologize for his controversial Covid policies — told supporters this week he was sorry he failed them in the primary. 'I am putting together a new team, communications plan, strategy, and field operation,' he wrote in an email to supporters Monday. 'And most important, I will be out there, every day in every corner of this city, meeting you where you are to talk about the struggles you face, and the solutions to address them. Learning the lessons from the past, relaunching toward the future.' Longtime aides like Melissa DeRosa and Rich Azzopardi remain, but several advisers who worked on his campaign — Kevin Elkins, Shontell Smith and Neal Kwatra — are not staying on post primary, four people familiar with their plans said. Many paid advisers' contracts expired at the end of June. Chris Coffey, the CEO of Tusk Strategies who served in an unpaid advisory role for Cuomo, will also not be part of the general election campaign. Cuomo will be competing in a five-candidate race that will include Mamdani, Mayor Eric Adams, Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Jim Walden. The composition of the field stands to see the moderate vote split and help Mamdani. Adams, who dropped his primary bid to run on an independent line after cozying up to President Donald Trump, shares a base of Black voters and Jewish New Yorkers with the ex-governor. Cuomo has insisted to supporters he can defeat Mamdani head-on with a coalition of moderate voters, according to three people familiar with the conversations. That's a tall order in a deep blue city. And even as he plans a revamped strategy, Cuomo has not lost his intense interest in polling data. The former governor wants to coalesce anti-Mamdani forces and persuade the other candidates to drop out by mid-September if they are not polling in second place — a position the former governor currently occupies in general election voter surveys . The pledge, first proposed by Walden, has been rejected by Adams and Sliwa. Most primary voter surveys did not account for Mamdani broadening the electorate to include a significant number of younger voters and South Asian New Yorkers — many of whom were casting ballots for the first time. Pollsters plan to adjust their methodology for the general election to take Mamdani's coalition into account. 'We always look at our model in terms of the expected demographic profile,' said Lee Miringoff, the director of the well-regarded Marist College poll. 'The short answer is that's standard practice.'
Politico
30-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
They tried to squash him. Now they want to be with him.
THE POUTY PROCESSION: They spent their days demonizing him, now they want a piece of him. The key players from Andrew Cuomo's campaign are lining up to woo the socialist they scorned and scathed as they begin to jockey for influence inside a City Hall that looks more and more likely to be led by a democratic socialist. Leaders of Tusk Strategies — the political consulting firm whose top executives played key roles in the former governor's mayoral campaign — are warming up to Zohran Mamdani. The softening comes after Cuomo's primary campaign spent its final weeks firing off vicious attacks against the democratic socialist, his record and his stance on the Israel-Hamas war. On Sunday, Bradley Tusk, the founder of the firm, penned an op-ed that poured cold water on the hopes of straggling Cuomo supporters who dream of Cuomo jumping back in the race. 'If you love New York City and want to see it thrive, even if Mamdani's views and politics are not your own (they're certainly not mine), let's do what we can to help him succeed,' Tusk argued in a piece that contended Mamdani's general election victory is inevitable. The piece neglected to mention his company's ties to Cuomo's campaign. Tusk CEO Chris Coffey also had some kind words for the 33-year-old Assemblymember: '.@ZohranKMamdani ran one hell of an effort,' he wrote on X. 'Hope the folks working for him in whatever fashion are getting to really enjoy this. Not sure how they could have done too much better.' And he's in touch with the campaign as well, according to two people familiar with the outreach who were granted anonymity to speak freely about internal strategy. 'I'm proud of my work for Andrew Cuomo,' Coffey said in a statement. 'I've also told Zohran's team publicly & privately that he ran a near perfect race. If that's Politico worthy, so be it.' Tusk is a corporate lobbying firm with clients who oppose Mamdani's hard-left agenda. Coffey performed extensive unpaid work for the Cuomo campaign. His Tusk colleague Shontell Smith was also paid by the campaign to serve as its political director, and their firm paid for two polls showing Cuomo with a decisive lead early on. Tusk Strategies was also behind a 501(c)(4) called 'Restore Sanity' — whose literature mirrored Cuomo-style talking points, including a photo of the remodeled LaGuardia Airport, which he oversaw while governor. Coffey and Smith were walled off from working on the effort, which did not reference a specific candidate. The Tusk turnaround is part of a growing exodus of key players inside Cuomo's campaign who have turned on their heel on the former governor before Cuomo decides if he wants to run again in the general election and well before all the votes have been counted. Reaction to Mamdani's win from real estate, finance and the lobbyists who influence the government on their behalf was deemed a 'meltdown.' Hedge fund executive Bill Ackman, for one, wrote on X he is casting about for another candidate. Mamdani world noticed the private sector panic has given way to curiosity. Calls have come in from business leaders in recent days to the state lawmaker's orbit, though Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein would not say who has been on the phone. 'There has been outreach from leading industries and business leaders in New York City,' Epstein said. 'Despite some of the comments made last week, there does seem to be good-faith interest and dialogue. Zohran will not compromise on his commitments to making this city affordable to working people and the agenda we laid out in this campaign. He's absolutely willing to talk to any New York about areas of shared interest.' Less than three days after Cuomo's Election Day defeat last week, two unions central to his campaign's strategy and GOTV efforts — Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU — announced they were endorsing Mamdani in the general. (A Cuomo spokesperson says the campaign appreciated the unions' support during the primary). The New York State Nurses Association also endorsed Mamdani. Kathy Wylde, the outgoing CEO of Partnership for New York City, is also expected to arrange a meeting between business leaders and Mamdani in July after business leaders largely threw their support behind Cuomo in the primary, Bloomberg first reported. And less than 12 hours after polls closed, Neal Kwatra, who was a senior advisor to the Cuomo campaign, had kind words for Mamdani — and harsh ones for Democratic establishment many felt Cuomo was running to preserve. 'His victory will herald a new era of generational challenges to sclerotic Democratic leadership all over the country,' Kwatra said on X in a series of posts praising the candidate he had just worked against. 'Congratulations to one of the best political athletes I've ever seen play the game- Mamba vibes.' — Jason Beeferman and Nick Reisman From the Capitol LABOR AND BIZ: Gov. Kathy Hochul's move to pay off the Covid-era unemployment insurance debt is yielding political gains ahead of her reelection bid next year. The under-the-radar issue united labor and business groups — and Hochul won praise from both when she agreed to include some $7 billion in the state budget to pay down the debt. The Democratic governor today rallied with the influential Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, a key union that last week endorsed Mamdani's mayoral bid. HTC had pressed for the debt to be paid off over concerns it kept jobless benefits artificially low. The union's president, Rich Maroko, called the move 'the most impactful labor legislation in years.' Hochul had been reluctant to dip into the state's rainy day fund to pay off the debt, which accrued during the pandemic as jobless claims spiked. Employers were hit with a tax hike and were shouldering the state's effort to pay down the money owed. A combination of labor and business pressure convinced Hochul to include the money in the state budget, which was approved more than a month past its April 1 due date. This morning with HTC, Hochul fully embraced the end of the debt and wrapped the move into her bigger affordability theme she's been hitting this year. 'These are really tough times for our people,' she said. 'That we could do something like this, it sends a message that we care about the high cost of living.' — Nick Reisman HOCHUL ANSWERS ON GILLIBRAND: Hochul was asked to respond to recent false claims from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand that Mamdani made 'references to global jihad' on the campaign trail. 'No one should be subjected to any comments that slur their ethnicity, their religious beliefs, and we condemn that anywhere it rears its head in the state of New York,' the governor said today after a reporter asked her to comment on 'the racism [Mamdani] is already facing, including from NY's own Kirsten Gillibrand?' Hochul's response did not name Gillibrand or directly address her comments. Evan Lukaske, a spokesperson for Gillibrand said the senator 'misspoke' when she used the term 'global jihad' during a Thursday interview with WNYC's Brian Lehrer. Lukaske said Gillibrand was intending to reference Mamdani's refusal to condemn the phrase 'Globalize the Intifada.' Mamdani said in an MSNBC interview that comments like Gillibrand's represent 'a language of darkness and a language of exclusion.' — Jason Beeferman FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL NOT READY TO ENDORSE, BUT: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, an institutionalist Bronx Democrat, was not ready to endorse Zohran Mamdani's mayoral bid, per Fox5's Morgan McKay. But Heastie — who signaled he's awaiting the final results of ranked-choice voting on Tuesday, a tally that Mamdani will win — believes voters were more motivated by the Queens lawmaker's message, and not the socialism. 'They didn't vote for him because he's a democratic socialist,' Heastie told reporters. 'They just voted for him because of his message that their material circumstances would be improved if housing and child care were made available to all rather than treated as market products.' Mamdani's brief tenure in Heastie's large Democratic conference hasn't produced a long list of accomplishments. Like any legislative body, the Assembly is a place that values longevity and the likely Democratic mayoral nominee wasn't there long enough to build up many wins beyond several bills. The speaker and the New York City Democratic Socialists of America have had plenty of run-ins in recent years. Heastie's comments today, though, are a signal key Democrats acknowledge the scale of what Mamdani has accomplished — and an indication of what the future might hold. — Nick Reisman DITTO FOR THIS KEY HOUSE MEMBER: Rep. Ritchie Torres was one of Cuomo's first endorsers in Congress — and part of the batch of electeds who backed him this year despite calling for his resignation in 2021. But the Bronx Democrat said today that the former governor doesn't have his support for an independent general election bid. 'My endorsement of the governor only applies to the Democratic primary,' Torres told 'CNN News Central.' Like Heastie and many other Democratic Party leaders, Torres isn't endorsing Mamdani quite yet either. Torres and Mamdani have talked as part of the presumptive Democratic nominee's outreach, the House member said. 'I think we have profound differences of opinion,' said Torres, a fierce defender of Israel, referencing Mamdani's refusal to denounce the phrase 'globalize the intifada.' 'But again, if he becomes mayor — and he's likely to become mayor — the mayor needs the New York City congressional delegation, the New York City congressional delegation needs the mayor. And so, it's in the interest of both sides to have a working relationship.' — Emily Ngo IN OTHER NEWS — MAMDANI SOFTENS STANCE: Mamdani initially supported calls to ban the admissions test for specialized NYC high schools, but has since pledged not to modify it. (POLITICO Pro) — UFT PREZ OUSTS CRITICS: Critics of city teachers union president Michael Mulgrew say they were taken off the payroll. (New York Post) — ASIAN VOTERS PLAYED BIG ROLE: A wave of Asian voters came out to vote for Mamdani, propelling his primary win. (THE CITY) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watchdog group calls for probe of Andrew Cuomo's campaign
NEW YORK — A government reform group is urging campaign finance regulators to investigate Andrew Cuomo's relationship with a lobbying firm providing him free campaign services and to consider stripping the mayoral frontrunner of millions of dollars in public matching funds. Common Cause New York filed a complaint Tuesday with the city Campaign Finance Board, alleging consulting services provided by Tusk Strategies — a prominent New York City-based lobbying company — amount to thousands of dollars of in-kind contributions well above the city's stringent limits. The letter also notes Tusk paid for two mayoral race polls, which were released ahead of Cuomo's campaign launch and showed him leading the pack — helping to solidify the perception of inevitability that he relied on to secure early donations and endorsements. 'There is no indication that the spending for these polls, which appear to have been conducted in direct coordination with Cuomo's campaign, have been adequately reported to the Campaign Finance Board or counted against Cuomo's primary spending cap,' reads the letter. The complaint follows reporting by POLITICO that Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey has worked as an unpaid advisor to Cuomo and handles outreach to the city's politically influential Orthodox Jewish leaders. His business partner, Shontell Smith, is Cuomo's political director and is being paid directly by the campaign. She has been working in 'a personal capacity,' according to a campaign spokesperson, and the letter notes she continues to be paid by Tusk. Common Cause alleged Smith's work for the campaign is 'effectively subsidizing' her pay and 'may undermine the intent of the CFB's strict spending limits.' 'As reported in POLITICO, Tusk Strategies and its principals have been actively involved in promoting and supporting Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign in ways that suggest coordination and in-kind donations that have not been properly disclosed,' Common Cause Executive Director Susan Lerner wrote in the letter. Lerner is demanding the regulatory board conduct a 'prompt and thorough examination.' 'We believe that such an investigation will lead the Board to the same conclusion that we have arrived at: the seriousness and the persistence of the violations by the Cuomo campaign demand that the campaign be required to refund all matching funds and be disqualified from receiving any further public funds,' Lerner concluded. Cuomo, who will take the debate stage Wednesday night as the overwhelming favorite ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary, has received $3.2 million in public matching funds. He's being assisted by a well-funded super PAC that is barred from coordinating with his campaign. Fundraising and spending for Cuomo's comeback bid have come under scrutiny since his late entrance into the Democratic primary. Campaign finance regulators have accused Cuomo and the super PAC, Fix the City, of improperly coordinating and last week fined him $675,000. The board in April withheld more than $600,000 in public matching funds on similar grounds. Regulators suspect Cuomo used a 'red boxing' strategy of passing information to Fix the City on his campaign website for preferred messaging and strategy. Cuomo's campaign and the super PAC have insisted they are adhering to campaign finance laws. In response to Lerner's charges, Coffey said his firm routinely conducts and releases polls. 'In all instances, the polls we have commissioned over the years are not done in coordination with, requested by, or shared with any campaigns. We've done at least four in the last 12 months on a range of political and public policy topics,' he said. He also said his work for Cuomo — both the Orthodox Jewish outreach and media advice — follow his career-long pattern of volunteering for political campaigns, which he said is 'in accordance with CFB rules.' 'As this election cycle progressed I began volunteering with the Cuomo campaign as well, just as I did with Chris Quinn's 2013 mayoral campaign,' Coffey said. 'I do not generally provide paid services to individual political candidates, and haven't in four years.' (Coffey ran Andrew Yang's 2021 mayoral campaign.) In his statement, he acknowledged Smith continues to work for Tusk's clients while being paid to consult for Cuomo's campaign. 'To suggest otherwise is demeaning, absurd and runs contrary to the experience of our clients. Ask anyone In the capital in the last four weeks,' Coffey said. In her letter, Lerner asked about the particulars of Smith's arrangement with the Cuomo campaign, whether Tusk disclosed or registered any campaign-related expenditures like the two polls and whether Cuomo has reported any coordination with Tusk or its partners. The head of Honan Strategy Group, which conducted the two polls in question, has penned op-eds touting Cuomo's strength with voters. Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi knocked Lerner and the group's spokesperson Alexis Grenell as 'longtime Cuomo antagonists (who) know they can't beat Andrew Cuomo at the ballot box' and referred to this letter as 'cynical attempts at election interference.' He also cited other campaigns' work with lobbyists, though Coffey's arrangement is unique given that he is not being paid. 'Individuals are permitted to volunteer on campaigns without it being considered a contribution,' Azzopardi said. 'And for months, many entities — including an anti-Cuomo PAC with no discernable sources of funding, AARP, anoutside group looking to support anyone but Cuomo, and apparently the Working Families Party — all did polls and publicly released them.' POLITICO obtained slides from the Working Families Party's poll over the weekend. The third party, which is running an anti-Cuomo slate, then followed up with further information about its survey. 'We understand early voting is in 11 days and our opponents will try any tactic possible to slow our momentum, but it won't work: New Yorkers know Andrew Cuomo is the only candidate in this race with the experience, record of accomplishment and vision to get the city back on track,' Azzopardi said. Tusk Strategies is also running a 501(c)(4) called 'Restore Sanity NYC' whose literature mirrors Cuomo's campaign messaging — including a photo of the renovated LaGuardia Airport, a project he oversaw as governor. The group's structure allows for its donors to be shielded from public view for the duration of the race while raising and spending unlimited amounts of money. A Tusk Strategies spokesperson said Coffey was walled off from being involved with Restore Sanity NYC's effort. An April 16 document reviewed by POLITICO memorialized the arrangement preventing Coffey and Smith from coordinating with the group while they are working on Cuomo's campaign.
Politico
03-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Watchdog group calls for probe of Andrew Cuomo's campaign
NEW YORK — A government reform group is urging campaign finance regulators to investigate Andrew Cuomo's relationship with a lobbying firm providing him free campaign services and to consider stripping the mayoral frontrunner of millions of dollars in public matching funds. Common Cause New York filed a complaint Tuesday with the city Campaign Finance Board, alleging consulting services provided by Tusk Strategies — a prominent New York City-based lobbying company — amount to thousands of dollars of in-kind contributions well above the city's stringent limits. The letter also notes Tusk paid for two mayoral race polls, which were released ahead of Cuomo's campaign launch and showed him leading the pack — helping to solidify the perception of inevitability that he relied on to secure early donations and endorsements. 'There is no indication that the spending for these polls, which appear to have been conducted in direct coordination with Cuomo's campaign, have been adequately reported to the Campaign Finance Board or counted against Cuomo's primary spending cap,' reads the letter. The complaint follows reporting by POLITICO that Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey has worked as an unpaid advisor to Cuomo and handles outreach to the city's politically influential Orthodox Jewish leaders. His business partner, Shontell Smith, is Cuomo's political director and is being paid directly by the campaign. She has been working in 'a personal capacity,' according to a campaign spokesperson, and the letter notes she continues to be paid by Tusk. Common Cause alleged Smith's work for the campaign is 'effectively subsidizing' her pay and 'may undermine the intent of the CFB's strict spending limits.' 'As reported in POLITICO, Tusk Strategies and its principals have been actively involved in promoting and supporting Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign in ways that suggest coordination and in-kind donations that have not been properly disclosed,' Common Cause Executive Director Susan Lerner wrote in the letter. Lerner is demanding the regulatory board conduct a 'prompt and thorough examination.' 'We believe that such an investigation will lead the Board to the same conclusion that we have arrived at: the seriousness and the persistence of the violations by the Cuomo campaign demand that the campaign be required to refund all matching funds and be disqualified from receiving any further public funds,' Lerner concluded. Cuomo, who will take the debate stage Wednesday night as the overwhelming favorite ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary, has received $3.2 million in public matching funds. He's being assisted by a well-funded super PAC that is barred from coordinating with his campaign. Fundraising and spending for Cuomo's comeback bid have come under scrutiny since his late entrance into the Democratic primary. Campaign finance regulators have accused Cuomo and the super PAC, Fix the City, of improperly coordinating and last week fined him $675,000. The board in April withheld more than $600,000 in public matching funds on similar grounds. Regulators suspect Cuomo used a 'red boxing' strategy of passing information to Fix the City on his campaign website for preferred messaging and strategy. Cuomo's campaign and the super PAC have insisted they are adhering to campaign finance laws. In response to Lerner's charges, Coffey said his firm routinely conducts and releases polls. 'In all instances, the polls we have commissioned over the years are not done in coordination with, requested by, or shared with any campaigns. We've done at least four in the last 12 months on a range of political and public policy topics,' he said. He also said his work for Cuomo — both the Orthodox Jewish outreach and media advice — follow his career-long pattern of volunteering for political campaigns, which he said is 'in accordance with CFB rules.' 'As this election cycle progressed I began volunteering with the Cuomo campaign as well, just as I did with Chris Quinn's 2013 mayoral campaign,' Coffey said. 'I do not generally provide paid services to individual political candidates, and haven't in four years.' (Coffey ran Andrew Yang's 2021 mayoral campaign.) In his statement, he acknowledged Smith continues to work for Tusk's clients while being paid to consult for Cuomo's campaign. 'To suggest otherwise is demeaning, absurd and runs contrary to the experience of our clients. Ask anyone In the capital in the last four weeks,' Coffey said. In her letter, Lerner asked about the particulars of Smith's arrangement with the Cuomo campaign, whether Tusk disclosed or registered any campaign-related expenditures like the two polls and whether Cuomo has reported any coordination with Tusk or its partners. The head of Honan Strategy Group, which conducted the two polls in question, has penned op-eds touting Cuomo's strength with voters. Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi knocked Lerner and the group's spokesperson Alexis Grenell as 'longtime Cuomo antagonists (who) know they can't beat Andrew Cuomo at the ballot box' and referred to this letter as 'cynical attempts at election interference.' He also cited other campaigns' work with lobbyists, though Coffey's arrangement is unique given that he is not being paid. 'Individuals are permitted to volunteer on campaigns without it being considered a contribution,' Azzopardi said. 'And for months, many entities — including an anti-Cuomo PAC with no discernable sources of funding, AARP, an outside group looking to support anyone but Cuomo, and apparently the Working Families Party — all did polls and publicly released them.' POLITICO obtained slides from the Working Families Party's poll over the weekend. The third party, which is running an anti-Cuomo slate, then followed up with further information about its survey. 'We understand early voting is in 11 days and our opponents will try any tactic possible to slow our momentum, but it won't work: New Yorkers know Andrew Cuomo is the only candidate in this race with the experience, record of accomplishment and vision to get the city back on track,' Azzopardi said. Tusk Strategies is also running a 501(c)(4) called 'Restore Sanity NYC' whose literature mirrors Cuomo's campaign messaging — including a photo of the renovated LaGuardia Airport, a project he oversaw as governor. The group's structure allows for its donors to be shielded from public view for the duration of the race while raising and spending unlimited amounts of money. A Tusk Strategies spokesperson said Coffey was walled off from being involved with Restore Sanity NYC's effort. An April 16 document reviewed by POLITICO memorialized the arrangement preventing Coffey and Smith from coordinating with the group while they are working on Cuomo's campaign.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lobbying firms power frontrunner Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign
NEW YORK — Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign is intertwined with a New York City-based lobbying firm that is providing services for free and stands to have a top ally in City Hall if he wins. Cuomo's arrangement with Tusk Strategies is saving the Democratic frontrunner tens of thousands of dollars on consulting fees, based on a review of rates his rivals pay for similar services. That allows him to spend more money on direct outreach to voters in the form of TV ads, mailers and digital spots. The Democrat's campaign is employing at least four people from another major lobbying firm, Mercury Public Affairs, in Cuomo's bid to oust Mayor Eric Adams. Campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said Mercury is being paid as a general consultancy. He then cited lobbyists working for opponents Zellnor Myrie, Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander and Eric Adams. Tusk presents a different case. The prominent firm, which ran Andrew Yang's 2021 mayoral campaign, has been playing an integral role in Cuomo's bid since before he entered the race in March, ahead of the June 24 primary. CEO Chris Coffey is involved in the campaign, providing communications advice to the former New York governor and handling outreach to the city's politically influential Orthodox Jewish leaders, as first reported by POLITICO. His business partner, Shontell Smith, works as the political director of Cuomo's campaign. Tusk Strategies paid for two public polls — one in February, released days before Cuomo entered the race, and a second less than month after the March campaign launch — which found the former governor handily leading the primary field. Both surveys were conducted by the Honan Strategy Group and helped solidify a perception of inevitability around Cuomo that helped with endorsements and fundraising. Coffey described his role as an 'informal advisor in a volunteer capacity.' Azzopardi said Smith is paid directly by the campaign 'in a personal capacity.' Coffey said the campaign does not take up much of his time, though three people familiar with his role in Cuomo's circle — who were granted anonymity to freely discuss its inner workings — recently described it as more involved than he did. Coffey's firm is also running a 501(c)(4) called 'Restore Sanity NYC,' whose literature matches Cuomo's campaign messaging — down to a photo of the remodeled LaGuardia Airport Terminal he oversaw as governor. The organization, first reported by The CITY and the New York Times, does not mention a candidate on its mailers. Its structure as a nonprofit allows it to raise and spend unlimited sums while shielding the identity of its donors during the race. Campaigns are legally barred from coordinating with super PACs, like the one that has raised some $9 million to boost Cuomo's mayoral bid. The city's Campaign Finance Board has withheld $622,056 in public matching funds as it investigates whether Cuomo's campaign coordinated with the PAC, Fix the City. Azzopardi has said he expects to receive the full amount of eligible matching funds once the regulators complete their probe. Groups like Restore Sanity NYC — which purport not to help any particular candidate — are not beholden to a prohibition on coordination. Nevertheless, Coffey and one of his employees — Alex Sommer — separately said the CEO is walled off from any involvement in the organization, following what the Times — and a person familiar with the matter — described as his outreach to potential donors in March. POLITICO reviewed an April 16 document memorializing that firewall. Tusk Strategies, of course, stands to gain financially from a share of the revenue raised by the group. 'I'm the CEO of a firm with 35 plus people and 40 plus clients with three offices around the country. I also chair two NYC nonprofits (Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and WIN),' Coffey said in a statement. 'That, along with spending time with my two kids and my husband, take up the vast majority of my time and focus.' 'That being said,' he added, 'I love this city and care deeply about its future, which is why I've worked on or volunteered (Quinn, Cuomo) for every mayoral campaign for [the] last 25 years and am beyond proud to do the same for Andrew Cuomo.' Tusk was founded by its namesake, political consultant Bradley Tusk, who ran Mike Bloomberg's 2009 mayoral campaign. It primarily advises corporate clients and lobbies state agencies. Coffey also routinely consults New York politicians, and his firm ran most of Yang's campaign in house four years ago. Cuomo's campaign filing will be public in the coming days; it's not yet known how much his team is paying Mercury. Longtime Cuomo confidant Charlie King, one of the campaign's earliest hires, is a Mercury partner. King worked with Cuomo in the Clinton administration and was his preferred running mate during a disastrous 2002 run for governor, and the two men have remained close. POLITICO in January reported that King was vetting potential campaign staff. As Cuomo prepared to enter the race, Mercury announced the hiring of Jennifer Bayer Michaels, a former Cuomo fundraiser who does not lobby. She now serves as the Cuomo campaign's finance director. Ten days after Cuomo's March 1 entrance into the race, The New York Post reported his campaign hired Edu Hermelyn, a Mercury senior vice president, to be a 'political advisor.' Hermelyn is the husband of Democratic Party leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who endorsed Cuomo shortly after he entered the race. Jake Dilemani, a Mercury partner, was also involved in hiring staff, and is not listed as a lobbyist. 'It is not uncommon that public affairs professionals work for firms that also provide lobbying services,' Azzopardi said, citing four rivals' on-staff lobbyists — all of whom are being paid, per public filings and statements from those campaigns. 'While we are busy reaching voters and running a campaign, I'm sure POLITICO, with all of its sprawling resources, will do a careful review of all of the other candidates and their consultants who also lobby or work for firms that provide lobbying services.'
