Eric Adams, once hailed by observers and himself as the future of the Democratic Party, now faces multiple federal indictments as the result of a ten-month-long corruption investigation. Adams also now faces snowballing calls for his resignation, a move that started with New York City Democratic Socialist of America (NYC-DSA) elected officials, first state assembly member Emily Gallagher and then city council member Tiffany Cabán. The allegations state that Adams knowingly broke fundraising rules leading up to his narrow primary election victory in June 2021.

We can see now that the victory of the proudly centrist, law-and-order, pro-business candidate to run the United States’ largest city wasn’t a reflection of a popular consensus but an extremely close election, funded and made possible by alleged straw donor fraud that gave him a huge money advantage in a tight primary election.

New York City’s public financing matching program is intended to incentivize candidates to draw on a wide network of smaller donors rather than large corporate donors. Candidates who accept public matching funds can receive donations from New York City residents up to $2,000, and the first $250 from an individual will be matched eight-to-one with public funds (up to $2,000 in public matching funds per donor). Taking public matching funds is a commitment not to take money from special interests and to gain a wider base of support among average New Yorkers. The candidate who raises the most money with matching funds also demonstrates the widest base of support.