This yearâs election is shaping up to be the cityâs first in which super PACs play a major role. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP4Q1AWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS90ZW1wbGF0ZS9vYWt2Mj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD01NiZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jbl8yMDIxMDQxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yOTM1MSZubD1vbi1wb2xpdGljcy13aXRoLWxpc2EtbGVyZXImcHJvZHVjdENvZGU9Q04mcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTU1NzY0JnRlPTEmdXJpPW55dCUzQSUyRiUyRm5ld3NsZXR0ZXIlMkY3ZmFhOTEzNS01ZjMwLTU1NmUtODZmMy0wZGVmNDU0MmVkMTcmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0S9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTU2JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NuXzIwMjEwNDE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI5MzUxJm5sPW9uLXBvbGl0aWNzLXdpdGgtbGlzYS1sZXJlciZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTU3NjQmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmB1RBd6YPJf8WxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)[Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-ad-marquee)
~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTYyMjExJmxpPUNOJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1DTl8yMDIxMDQxNlcDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ [On Politics](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TNaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc2VjdGlvbi9wb2xpdGljcz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD01NiZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jbl8yMDIxMDQxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yOTM1MSZubD1vbi1wb2xpdGljcy13aXRoLWxpc2EtbGVyZXImcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTU1NzY0JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) April 16, 2021 [Author Headshot](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TTaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZ2lvdmFubmktcnVzc29uZWxsbz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD01NiZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jbl8yMDIxMDQxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yOTM1MSZubD1vbi1wb2xpdGljcy13aXRoLWxpc2EtbGVyZXImcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTU1NzY0JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) By [Giovanni Russonello](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TTaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZ2lvdmFubmktcnVzc29uZWxsbz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD01NiZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jbl8yMDIxMDQxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yOTM1MSZubD1vbi1wb2xpdGljcy13aXRoLWxpc2EtbGVyZXImcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTU1NzY0JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) Antonio de Luca/The New York Times The New York City mayorâs race already has a national-politics tinge thanks to one guy: the businessman Andrew Yang, whose long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination sputtered out early last year, but who is now seen as a front-runner in the cityâs mayoral election. (Thatâs despite his knack for [eliciting groans](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP4QZAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJlZmluZXJ5MjkuY29tL2VuLXVzLzIwMjEvMDQvMTA0MTU1NzAvYW5kcmV3LXlhbmctdHdpdHRlci1jb250cm92ZXJzeS1ueWM_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NTYmZW1jPWVkaXRfY25fMjAyMTA0MTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjkzNTEmbmw9b24tcG9saXRpY3Mtd2l0aC1saXNhLWxlcmVyJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD01NTc2NCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1yc3MmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1mZWVkVwNueXRCCmB1RBd6YPJf8WxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) on Twitter.) But itâs not just the personalities that are bridging the divide between local and national politics. Itâs also the money. This mayoral election is shaping up to be the cityâs first in which super PACs â the dark-money groups that sprang up after the U.S. Supreme Courtâs 2010 decision in [Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0ThaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxMC8wMS8yMi91cy9wb2xpdGljcy8yMnNjb3R1cy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTU2JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NuXzIwMjEwNDE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI5MzUxJm5sPW9uLXBvbGl0aWNzLXdpdGgtbGlzYS1sZXJlciZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTU3NjQmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmB1RBd6YPJf8WxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) â play a major role. But itâs also the first race in which a number of candidates are taking advantage of a city policy that allows campaigns to gain access to more generous public matching funds, based upon their level of grass-roots support. With the potentially decisive Democratic primary just over two months away, our Metro reporters [Dana Rubinstein](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TPaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZGFuYS1ydWJpbnN0ZWluP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTU2JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NuXzIwMjEwNDE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI5MzUxJm5sPW9uLXBvbGl0aWNzLXdpdGgtbGlzYS1sZXJlciZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTU3NjQmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmB1RBd6YPJf8WxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) and [Jeffery C. Mays](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TOaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvamVmZmVyeS1jLW1heXM_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NTYmZW1jPWVkaXRfY25fMjAyMTA0MTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjkzNTEmbmw9b24tcG9saXRpY3Mtd2l0aC1saXNhLWxlcmVyJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD01NTc2NCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYHVEF3pg8l_xbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) have written [an article looking](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8wNC8xNS9ueXJlZ2lvbi9ueWMtbWF5b3Itc3VwZXItcGFjcy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTU2JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NuXzIwMjEwNDE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI5MzUxJm5sPW9uLXBvbGl0aWNzLXdpdGgtbGlzYS1sZXJlciZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTU3NjQmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmB1RBd6YPJf8WxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) at how the hunt for super PAC cash is complicating the race â and raising ethical questions about some campaigns, including a few that are also receiving public [matching funds](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TEaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnljY2ZiLmluZm8vcHJvZ3JhbT9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD01NiZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jbl8yMDIxMDQxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yOTM1MSZubD1vbi1wb2xpdGljcy13aXRoLWxpc2EtbGVyZXImcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTU1NzY0JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~). Dana took a moment out of her Friday afternoon to catch me up on where things stand. Hi Dana. So, the Citizens United decision was handed down in 2010. Yet it seems as if this is the first time weâre hearing about super PACs being used in a big way in the New York mayorâs race. How does this development interact with the cityâs newly beefed-up matching-funds policy, which is aimed at encouraging small donations? Is this a case of contradictory policies â or, as a source in your story put it, âlike patching one part of your roof and the water finds another way inâ? [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-0) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MzMzNTEmbGk9Q04mbT1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZwPUNOXzIwMjEwNDE2VwNueXRCCmB1RBd6YPJf8WxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~ There was some [independent-expenditure](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP4RxAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZlYy5nb3YvaGVscC1jYW5kaWRhdGVzLWFuZC1jb21taXR0ZWVzL2NhbmRpZGF0ZS10YWtpbmctcmVjZWlwdHMvdW5kZXJzdGFuZGluZy1pbmRlcGVuZGVudC1leHBlbmRpdHVyZXMvP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTU2JmVtYz1lZGl0X2NuXzIwMjEwNDE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI5MzUxJm5sPW9uLXBvbGl0aWNzLXdpdGgtbGlzYS1sZXJlciZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTU3NjQmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3Izp-OnRleHQ9QW4lMjBpbmRlcGVuZGVudCUyMGV4cGVuZGl0dXJlJTIwaXMlMjBhbixwYXJ0eSUyMGNvbW1pdHRlZSUyMG9yJTIwaXRzJTIwYWdlbnRzLlcDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) (or âI.E.â) activity in the 2013 mayoral primary, but it wasnât candidate specific â with one possible exception. There was a super PAC called New York City Is Not for Sale that was candidate specific, in the sense that it was targeting one candidate, Christine Quinn, and it got its funding from Bill de Blasio supporters. But this is really the first time weâve seen candidate-specific I.E.s. As theyâve proliferated on the national level, New York City candidates have been taking their cues from the national scene. If you talk to folks at the Brennan Center, who are big advocates for the matching-funds program, theyâll point to it and say that voters should take heart, because in many ways it is proving itself to be a success. The six mayoral candidates who qualified for matching funds this year were the most ever. The matching funds are being doled out in accordance with how many voters from New York City are contributing to campaigns, and that means someone like Dianne Morales, who has no previous electoral history and was not at all a big player in the New York political scene before this election, is able to make a real case for the mayoralty. She is able to mount a real campaign. She got like $2 million in matching funds in this round. But then you have this parallel universe of super PAC money. And in some cases you have candidates who are getting matching funds â which are our taxpayer dollars â and benefiting from super PACs. Of course, super PACs are supposed to be independent and not coordinate with campaigns, but regardless, for some voters itâs hard to see that and think itâs an ideal scenario. Basically, what we have is two parallel fund-raising systems: One is almost completely ungoverned, and the other is very strictly regulated and involves taxpayer money. I Who is leading the race for super PAC money in New York? And whatâs the overall state of the race these days, money matters aside? [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-1) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTYyMjA4JmxpPUNOJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1DTl8yMDIxMDQxNlcDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ Shaun Donovan, the former housing secretary under President Barack Obama, is participating in the matching-funds program, and he has a super PAC. Scott Stringer, the city comptroller, has a super PAC too â although a much less lucrative one â and is also taking matching funds. Andrew Yang has one super PAC that was formed by a longtime friend of his named David Rose; itâs raised a nominal amount of money, but no one is under the illusion that it wonât start raising a lot soon. And thereâs this other super PAC connected to Yang thatâs supposedly in the works, and that Lis Smith, who was involved in Pete Buttigiegâs presidential campaign, is involved with. Then there is Ray McGuire, a former Citigroup executive and one of the highest-ranking African-American bank executives ever. He has a super PAC that has raised $4 million from all kinds of recognizable names. Theyâre spending a lot, with the goal to just sort of increase his name recognition. As far as the state of the race, we have no idea. As you can attest, thereâs been virtually no credible polling here. In terms of the available polls, there is some uniformity to what they suggest: Yang has a lead, yet half of voters are undecided. You have Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, and then the rest of the pack. It is both too soon to say and also alarmingly close to the actual primary election day, June 22. We really donât have a sense of where things stand. When you add to this [ranked-choice voting](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8xMi8wOS9ueXJlZ2lvbi9yYW5rZWQtY2hvaWNlLWxhd3N1aXQtdm90aW5nLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NTYmZW1jPWVkaXRfY25fMjAyMTA0MTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjkzNTEmbmw9b24tcG9saXRpY3Mtd2l0aC1saXNhLWxlcmVyJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD01NTc2NCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYHVEF3pg8l_xbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA), which is new this year, itâs really an open question. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-2) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9NzIzMjk3JmxpPUNOJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1DTl8yMDIxMDQxNlcDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ Earlier you mentioned Shaun Donovan, whose story figures prominently into the article you and Jeff just wrote. Fill us in on whatâs going on there. In addition to being the former housing secretary for Obama, he was the budget director. So heâs a very well-regarded technocrat â who also is the son of a wealthy ad-tech executive. Someone formed a super PAC to support his candidacy for mayor; that super PAC has raised a little over $2 million, and exactly $2 million of that sum was donated by his dad. Itâs completely within the realm of possibility that his dad was like, âYou know what, I really love my son, I think heâd be a great mayor, Iâm going to fund his super PAC,â without any coordination about how that money would be used. But itâs hard for some people to imagine a scenario where a father and son donât talk about this kind of thing. Or maybe it isnât! The point is that itâs almost unknowable, isnât it? Thereâs a lot of winking and nodding involved in this stuff, and you donât necessarily need direct coordination in order to have what is effectively coordination. After a backlash, Biden reverses course on refugee policy. By Zolan Kanno-Youngs After a backlash from Democrats and human rights activists, the White House abruptly reversed course on Friday on the number of refugees it will allow into the United States, a reflection of President Bidenâs continuing struggle with immigration policy. At midday on Friday, the administration had said it would limit the number of refugees allowed into the United States this year to the historically low level of 15,000 set by the Trump administration, breaking an earlier pledge to greatly increase that number and let in more than 60,000 people fleeing war and persecution. But that announcement drew immediate criticism from Democratic leaders. In a statement, Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and the majority whip, called the administrationâs admissions target âunacceptable.â âFacing the greatest refugee crisis in our time, there is no reason to limit the number to 15,000,â Durbin said. âSay it ainât so, President Joe.â Just hours later, the White House put out a statement saying it expected to increase the cap next month. It did not comment when asked to specify the number. The sudden shifts come as the United States struggles with a surge of unaccompanied children and teenagers at the Mexican border, and growing concerns that the increase has already overwhelmed the refugee branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, according to two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the decision-making. Biden had promised in February to raise the cap of 15,000 refugees set by the Trump administration â the lowest in the programâs history. Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified Congress on Feb. 12 that the administration planned to allow up to 62,500 refugees to enter the country in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, citing âgrave humanitarian concernsâ around the world. But for two months, Biden did not sign a presidential determination that would have allowed refugees to board flights to the United States. This item comes from [our live briefing](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbGl2ZS8yMDIxLzA0LzE2L3VzL2JpZGVuLW5ld3MtdG9kYXk_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NTYmZW1jPWVkaXRfY25fMjAyMTA0MTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjkzNTEmbmw9b24tcG9saXRpY3Mtd2l0aC1saXNhLWxlcmVyJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD01NTc2NCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYHVEF3pg8l_xbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA), where you can find more updates on the news in Washington today. 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RECOMMENDED READING [[Article Image] Doug Mills/The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiXJxEP0TuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8wNC8xNi91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9kZW1vY3JhdHMtZG93bi1iYWxsb3QuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD01NiZlbWM9ZWRpdF9jbl8yMDIxMDQxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yOTM1MSZubD1vbi1wb2xpdGljcy13aXRoLWxpc2EtbGVyZXImcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTU1NzY0JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpgdUQXemDyX_FsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [How Democrats Who Lost in Deep-Red Places Might Have Helped Biden A study by a liberal group found a reverse coattails effect in 2020: Down-ballot candidates may have helped elect President Biden, rather than the other way around. 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