Yang hits donation threshold to get city matching funds

Andrew Yang has enough donations to qualify for taxpayer matching funds, his mayoral campaign said Sunday.

The former presidential hopeful, who launched his bid New York City mayor last month, said he has raised more than $250,000 from donors living in New York City. Under the city’s campaign finance rules, candidates who hit that threshold with at least 1,000 local contributors can get campaign money from the city, with small contributions matched at a rate of 8-to-1.

The campaign expects to take in more than $2 million in public funds, according to a memo issued Sunday, when the city’s Campaign Finance Board verifies the numbers.

In total, the campaign said it has raised over $1 million from all donors, including New Yorkers and non-city residents. Some 11,000 people have donated.

Once verified, Yang will be the fourth Democratic mayoral candidate to hit the matching funds mark, following attorney Maya Wiley, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

“Despite entering the race months, or even years, after other candidates, we have quickly raised over $250,000 in 8:1 matchable donations from New York City residents to qualify for matching funds from the City, the fastest campaign to reach the matching funds threshold in the race,” campaign managers Sasha Ahuja and Chris Coffey wrote in the memo.

The average contribution amount is $84, the campaign said.

Yang has led the handful of public polls that have been conducted so far in the primary race, despite a series of perceived stumbles early in his campaign.

He announced earlier this month he has Covid-19 and has been sidelined from the in-person campaign trail.