Current Events > Trump-voting hedge fund guy pledges half a mil in support of Eric Adamd

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://hellgatenyc.com/anti-mamdani-pro-eric-adams-super-pac/

A new team of ultra-rich New Yorkers is forming to try and stop the Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani from winning the general election in Novemberand one of them has already pledged $500,000 to get it done.

Ricky Sandler, the head of the global asset firm Eminence Capital, is leading an effort to raise cash for a new anti-Mamdani super PAC.

"Like most of you, I am very concerned about the dire consequences of Zoran [sic] Mamdani becoming the Mayor of NYC," Sandler wrote in an email he sent out to friends on Thursday evening, which was obtained by Hell Gate. "He lacks the requisite experience, wants to defund the police, holds economic ideas proven to be disastrous to cities and espouses radical social views."

Sandler added that real estate titans Richard Mack and Marty Burger have agreed to join him, and that they have all been speaking with Jeff Leb, the head of the local super PAC New Yorkers for a Better Future, which has "the knowledge, the network and the track record that shows they are capable to execute on such a campaign." New Yorkers for a Better Future recently spent more than $1.2 million to influence a slew of City Council races in last month's primary.

The whole gang is hosting a Zoom call on Monday night, though if anyone wants to attend, Sandler said they should be prepared to write a five-figure check.

"If you would be willing to commit at least $25,000 to this effort (assuming you are satisfied after listening to them and doing your own diligence) then please join this call, I am committing at least $500,000 to this effort," Sandler wrote.

From the email, it appears that while the group might be getting advice from New Yorkers for a Better Future, which has a track record of spending cash to attack left-leaning Democrats, they want to start their own super PAC.

"We are looking to raise the funds that would go into an Independent Expenditure Fund (the "IEF") that we would control in order execute [sic] on a plan like this," Sandler wrote. "Richard, Marty, and I are happy to serve as gatekeepers and guardians for the money and / or agree to a different plan of oversight that the broader group suggests."

The new super PAC wouldn't just spend money to tear Mamdani downSandler wrote that his plan involves "implementing a media campaign to improve the image of Eric Adams and try to move up his results in polling."

"The logic behind this is that if Eric moves up in the polls in a meaningful way, Cuomo has said he will drop out," Sandler wrote.

Improving Eric Adams's image with New Yorkers "in a meaningful way" may be easier said than done. According to a Slingshot Strategies poll released earlier this month, the mayor currently has a negative 34 percent approval rating, and trails Mamdani by 22 points.

Sandler, who tweeted that he voted for "Cuomo, Tilson, Adams, Stringer and Blake" in the Democratic primary (and whose X account also features posts about his support for President Donald Trump, Trump's turbulent relationship with Elon Musk, Sandler's reverence for certain athletes who complain about their transgender peers, and why nominating AOC for president would be a "monumental mistake") did not respond to our emails or texts about his plans.

Mack, a real estate developer who was quoted in 2022 as saying that rent regulation "creates entitlement," and Burger, the former longtime CEO of Silverstein Properties before he was replaced in 2023 by Larry Silverstein's daughter, did not respond to our requests for comment.

Leb was coy when we reached him via text.

"We have had conversations with leaders across New York from diverse faiths and communities who are united in opposing Zohran's alarming inexperience and extreme viewsbefore Zohran can do lasting damage to our city's future," Leb wrote.

In his email, Sandler also wrote that his group would back efforts by the investor Lisa Blau, who has spent more than $500,000 of her own money with her super PAC Be Counted NYC to try and convince Republicans and independents to change their registration to vote in Democratic primaries, including during this year's primary.

"This IEF will also collaborate and support Lisa Blau's efforts and will have the freedom to support other entity's media expenditures, if consistent with the goals above," Sandler wrote, before adding that Blau would probably only be interested in attacking Mamdani, because "Lisa has indicated that she isnt comfortable doing direct candidate advocacy for Eric."

Blau, who is married to the CEO of the real estate development firm Related Companies, did not respond to emails sent to her investment company.

Mamdani's campaign didn't respond to our request for comment.

In addition to boosting the fortunes of Eric Adams, Sandler listed two other strategies that he said would give the group "the best chance" at tanking Mamdani's bid, including "an aggressive advertising and social media campaign micro targeting factual messages about Mamdani." (One example: "Attack him for wanting to eliminate merit-based admissions to NYC public schools to target Asian voters," which appears to be a reference to the specialized high school testing debate, though Mamdani has said he supports keeping those tests.)

Another strategy: "Grass roots door knocking and one to one communication to get people out to vote."

"All the Mamdani supporters came out in the primary and will come out in the general election. But we don't think he has many more supporters," Sandler wrote. "So, we need to mobilize enough of the larger majority to get off their couch and vote."

Sandler's super PAC would join a slew of other anti-Mamdani groups that have popped up since the primaryincluding Ray Kelly's Save NYC ("Say 'no' to Mamdani-ism"); Defend NYC, which was started by a former advisor to Donald Trump; and Protect the Protectors, spun up by political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. There is also Sensible City Inc., which spent $100,000 to run negative ads against Mamdani, and Fix the City, the Mike Bloomberg-funded behemoth that burned through more than $22 million during the primary$14 million to support Cuomo, and more than $7 million against Mamdani. The group has raised an additional $300,000 since the primary.

A recent poll shows Mamdani at 50% support even in a five-way race
https://bsky.app/profile/jacobkornbluh.bsky.social/post/3lv4q5gzi422n

That's money flushed down the toilet.

It's wild these idiots would only stand a chance if they all stood behind one opposition candidate and they can't even do that. According to that poll this dude is backing the fourth place candidate with 7% of the vote who would still lose in a head to head easily, so it really is a giant waste of money. Glad to see him waste it here so he can't spend it on something else later.

Imagine if the wealthy used thus money to actually help people

Adams is a corrupt Trump shill and polls like dog shit, I don't know why these people can't accept that. Even if they want to be centrist morons, Cuomo's polling at least isn't hot garbage.

These people are the fucking worst.

It's a real Up vs Down match here.

ssjevot posted...

It's wild these idiots would only stand a chance if they all stood behind one opposition candidate and they can't even do that.

The guy is probably so narcissistic that in his head he's the underdog main protagonist who can bend reality to his will (and money).

Might as well set it on fire

I love this fucking gem from these tone-deaf pieces of shit:

"He lacks the requisite experience, wants to defund the police, holds economic ideas proven to be disastrous to cities and espouses radical social views."

1) He has experience as a state assemblyman. State government is generally higher-tier and deals with larger budgets than city government.

2) He does not want to defund the police and has made that abundantly fucking clear

3) His economic ideas have not proven to be disastrous to cities...find me a city that did what he did and went bankrupt because of it

4) What social views does he espouse that are "radical"? He doesn't seem to talk much about social views, and his policy on social issues seems to be of the vein of "just don't be a piece of shit to other people" which kind of makes sense

New York City, you can piss off a LOT of billionaires. You have that chance.

Sayoria posted...

New York City, you can piss off a LOT of billionaires. You have that chance.

It seems as if this is one of those cases where you're really pissing off the right people

If the people whom you're pissing off are Trump-supporting billionaires, there's a good chance that your policy is better for society as a whole. It's not an exaggeration that you could probably create an ideal platform for making the world better by simply asking a bunch of right-wing billionaires "What do you think this country should be more like?" and then just doing the exact fucking opposite

If Mamdani wins billionaires and Wall Street guys might be forced to pay like 1 or 2 percent more in taxes (which could bring their tax payments to 1 or 2 percent).

With Adams they will pay 0% and get tax breaks for screwing over work class and poor.

Half a million is nothing compared to what they get if Adams wins.

Sayoria posted...

New York City, you can piss off a LOT of billionaires. You have that chance.

I promise you, most voters do not give one single solitary fuck about "pissing off the billionaires" and Mamdani not focusing on that is actually a big reason for him doing so well

LightSnake posted...

I promise you, most voters do not give one single solitary fuck about "pissing off the billionaires" and

Are you sure about that?

Nobody really cares about pissing off billionaires, and the truth is, if billionaires and millionaires didn't build their wealth by controlling necessities like residential real estate and healthcare, nobody would give a shit about them having wealth. But the thing is - if wanting to make real estate more affordable pisses off billionaires...you have to ask the question...why? And the answer is obvious - it's because property appreciation is one of the main ways these people build their wealth.

SSj4Wingzero posted...

Nobody really cares about pissing off billionaires, and the truth is, if billionaires and millionaires didn't build their wealth by controlling necessities like residential real estate and healthcare, nobody would give a shit about them having wealth. But the thing is - if wanting to make real estate more affordable pisses off billionaires...you have to ask the question...why? And the answer is obvious - it's because property appreciation is one of the main ways these people build their wealth.

Oddly there are poor and middle class people that do care about billionaire because of jobs, even though they pay little, and they will fire you even if they have "the best quarter ever" to make more money.

Hed be better off splitting all that money up and giving it to as many New Yorkers as possible. Itd be way more productive use of that money than throwing in the toilet for a guy whose like 4th in the polls and pretty much stands no chance of winning.

There's at least five separate anti-Mamdani efforts just setting money on fire like this.

UnfairRepresent posted...

Are you sure about that?

Yes, there is ample evidence the US voting populace does not vote whatsoever on upsetting billionaires and actively admires and likes them.

Mamdani has not focused on that and is doing great. Not a coincidence.

hmnut7 posted...

With Adams they will pay 0% and get tax breaks for screwing over work class and poor.

oh screw that, they don't need any more help.

SSj4Wingzero posted...

I love this fucking gem from these tone-deaf pieces of shit:

1) He has experience as a state assemblyman. State government is generally higher-tier and deals with larger budgets than city government.

2) He does not want to defund the police and has made that abundantly fucking clear

3) His economic ideas have not proven to be disastrous to cities...find me a city that did what he did and went bankrupt because of it

4) What social views does he espouse that are "radical"? He doesn't seem to talk much about social views, and his policy on social issues seems to be of the vein of "just don't be a piece of shit to other people" which kind of makes sense

don't bother, these people don't really care what the facts are. they just want to **** over the poor and middle class, that's all that matters to them.

LightSnake posted...

Yes, there is ample evidence the US voting populace does not vote whatsoever on upsetting billionaires and actively admires and likes them.

We're not talking about the US

We're talking about a mayoral election in New York

"Fuck x, I wanna be mad and fuck the xs over!" has been the bread and butter of New Yorkers for over a century

This was the city that elected Mike BLoomberg three times.

LightSnake posted...

This was the city that elected Mike BLoomberg three times.

We're getting into Ship of Theseus territory here, but I might argue that it is not the same city it was in 2009.

It elected Eric Adams not long ago, too.

NYC politics has often been something of a freakshow. Mamdani is winning because he's a positive, excellent campaigner, made great alliances and his opponents are painfully weak. Cuomo is a disgraced sex creep who transparently hates the city and is running on little but "vengeance"

The rich are not sending their best

I find it ironic that the same billionaires who complain about NYC's crime and homelessness problem simply refuse to do anything to fix these problems.

A real estate developer could easily fix homelessness by building affordable housing, but lol

Few things are more enjoyable than watching rich assholes flush their money down the toilet like this.

However, $500k from this particular asshole is probably like a normal person donating $20.

That's why obscene wealth accumulation needs to end -- it's disgusting to lose democracy because oligarchs can often buy elections and politicians with their pocket change.

They're scared