By: Myrtle Wilson

The pro-Andrew Cuomo super PAC “Fix The City” just delivered a fundraising shockwave — pulling in a staggering $1.26 million in the span of a single week, the New York Post first reported. It marks the largest weekly haul for Cuomo’s outside backers since the Democratic primary and gives the former governor critical firepower as he battles socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in the general election for mayor.

The New York Post first reported that the biggest checks came from some of New York’s most prominent business titans. Billionaire William Lauder, former executive chairman of Estee Lauder, gave $500,000. John Hess, the longtime head of the Hess Corporation, matched that figure with another $500,000. And Estee heir Jack Zinterhofer, grandson of Ron Lauder, chipped in $250,000. A smaller $10,000 donation came from the DNA testing company Natra Inc.

The Post first reported that super PACs — unlike official campaign committees — can accept unlimited contributions from wealthy donors, giving Cuomo a lifeline after his defeat in the Democratic primary. The former governor is now running as an independent, and Fix The City is positioning itself as the central vehicle to keep him viable against Mamdani’s army of socialist activists and Mayor Eric Adams’ weakened reelection bid.

Fix The City raised more than $25 million during the primary fight, including $8 million from former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The group’s chairman, longtime Cuomo confidant Steve M. Cohen, told the New York Post that the latest surge of donations is only the beginning. “A lot of our donors will come back. Over the next 30 to 45 days, you will see the donors who supported us during the primary and new donors supporting Andrew Cuomo,” Cohen said.

The fundraising battle is intensifying on all sides. The New York Post first reported that in traditional campaign fundraising, Mamdani trounced his rivals over the past five weeks, raking in $1.05 million — more than double Cuomo’s $507,000. Adams raised $460,000, while Republican Curtis Sliwa pulled in $407,000. Mamdani’s own super PAC, New Yorkers for Lower Costs, last week collected a $250,000 check from philanthropist Elizabeth Simons, daughter of the late hedge fund legend James Simons.

But it’s the outside money for Fix The City that could reshape the race. Insiders told the Post the group plans to spend heavily on voter outreach in the general election, targeting neighborhood associations and civic groups deeply opposed to the Democratic Socialists of America’s influence. “The only candidate who can defeat Mamdani is Andrew Cuomo,” Cohen said flatly.

As the New York Post first reported, Cuomo faces daunting odds against Mamdani’s energized base of thousands of young volunteers, plus the organizational muscle of the DSA, the Working Families Party, and multiple labor unions that once supported Cuomo but flipped to the socialist insurgent. Still, Cuomo’s allies believe that with enough money, they can galvanize centrist Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans who fear Mamdani’s anti-police, anti-business platform.

Cuomo himself framed the stakes in sweeping terms during a weekend interview on 770 WABC’s “Cats Roundtable.” “I’m a Democrat running on an independent line. Zohran [Mamdani] is a socialist running on the Democratic line,” Cuomo told host John Catsimatidis. “I’m not a socialist. I’m not against business. I’m not against corporations. I don’t know how you can be a socialist leader in New York City and be anti-business and have New York City survive. New York City is all about business.”