There is a reason for this Barely elected, socialist Mamdani is already asking for money
New York's new mayor Zohran Mamdani has barely been elected and is already asking for money. In just 30 hours, more than 7,000 small donations flowed in to finance the expensive transition phase.
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- One day after his election victory, New York's future mayor Zohran Mamdani asked for donations because he is not allowed to pay the costs of his transition phase from his campaign funds.
- While previous mayors have usually received over 800 large donations for this purpose, Mamdani collected around 518,000 dollars from more than 7,000 small contributions in 30 hours.
- To prepare for his office, he is relying on a women's team of experienced leaders from social services, administration and business.
Just one day after his victory in the New York mayoral election, Democrat Zohran Mamdani asked his supporters for donations. In a video, the 34-year-old democratic socialist explained that the transition phase was now beginning and that his team needed money for this.
A socialist asking for money shortly after the election? What sounds like a confirmation bias has a simple reason in the USA: anyone who wins an election must make a strict distinction between the finances of the campaign and the costs of the period afterwards.
Preparation time is not paid for
This period afterwards is called the transition. Until the inauguration on January 1, 2026, the election winner prepares for their new role. This is already a full-time job - but he is not yet paid during this phase. And he is not working alone: costs are incurred immediately for the organization, offices, staff and consulting. This is precisely why donations are needed.
Previous transitions show just how high these costs can be. Mamdani's predecessor Eric Adams raised around 1.9 million dollars in the first week after his election. In 2013, Bill de Blasio raised around 2.1 million dollars. Both received the money from just over 800 donors.
Mamdani, on the other hand, reported around 518,000 dollars in the first 30 hours after his election - from more than 7,000 individual donations.
The democratic socialist is relying on an all-women team for the "transition". Elana Leopold, a long-time confidante from his campaign and former executive in the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio, is taking the lead.
The co-chairs include Lina Khan, a high-profile opponent of monopolistic structures and former head of the US Consumer Protection Agency, and Maria Torres-Springer, who was responsible for housing and economic policy in New York for many years.
