Frontrunner Mamdani’s Campaign Caught With Foreign Cash — Questions Swirl Ahead of Election

New York — Just weeks before voters decide the future of the city, mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani finds his campaign mired in a compliance scandal: campaign finance records show his team accepted nearly $13,000 from donors with foreign addresses — donations that could be illegal under federal, state and city law. The revelations raise urgent questions about whether the Democratic socialist nominee’s operation is sufficiently transparent — and whether outside interests have been quietly propping up a candidate who promises to remake the city.

A records review by local outlets and national outlets shows at least 170 contributions to Mamdani’s effort came from outside the United States. Campaign filings indicate the campaign has so far refunded a portion of that money — roughly $5,600 — but dozens of foreign donations remain unreturned, totaling several thousand dollars. Among the flagged contributions was a $500 gift from Mamdani’s mother-in-law in Dubai, which the campaign later refunded — a detail that underscores how easily foreign money can slip into modern fundraising.

Mamdani’s campaign released a terse statement promising to “of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law.” But that assurance will mean little to voters who expected the front-running candidate to run a campaign above reproach — especially after outlets found 88 unreturned foreign donations totaling roughly $7,190 still sitting in the books. The numbers expose sloppy compliance at best, and at worst the possibility that foreign dollars influenced a campaign that has already attracted millions in private and public funds.

Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa didn’t mince words. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Sliwa warned, suggesting investigators should dig deeper to determine whether more illicit contributions remain hidden. That warning is ominous: campaign finance laws are strict about contributions from non-citizens and non-permanent residents, and the presence of hundreds of out-of-country donor addresses — from places including Australia, Canada, Germany and the United Arab Emirates — will inevitably draw scrutiny.

The story matters because money follows influence. Mamdani has touted an energetic grassroots operation and reported millions in private donations plus substantial public matching funds. But the presence of foreign contributions — even in small amounts — invites a dangerous line of questioning: who is bankrolling the political transformation Mamdani promises, and do New Yorkers deserve to know whether outside hands had a role in boosting his ascent?

Campaign insiders say refunds are underway, but the discrepancy between the amounts reported and the number of still-outstanding donations suggests officials at the Campaign Finance Board and, if necessary, federal authorities should review the records to ensure full compliance. For now, Mamdani’s pledge to return ineligible donations is scant comfort to voters who already worry about accountability and the integrity of city elections.

This isn’t just a bookkeeping error — it is a test of transparency. If Mamdani’s team cleans up the books and proves donors were U.S. citizens or lawful residents, the issue may fade. If not, New Yorkers will have to decide whether a candidate who accepted questionable donations — and who moved quickly to cash in public matching funds — is fit to run the nation’s largest city.

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