A top Democratic National Committee firm is allowing outgoing New York governor Andrew Cuomo to solicit donations, even as party leaders and fundraising platforms have abandoned the scandal-plagued Democrat in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
Democratic Party data behemoth NGP VAN has given Cuomo a platform to collect donations from supporters through his official campaign website. NGP VAN is a major player in liberal politics, serving as the sole proprietor of the Democratic National Committee's voter database. Its relationship with Cuomo stands in contrast, however, to the Democratic power players, including President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), who abandoned him after a state report called sexual misconduct accusations against him credible.
The Democratic National Committee did not respond to a request for comment on whether it supports NGP VAN's decision to allow Cuomo to fundraise on the platform.
ActBlue, the largest liberal fundraising platform in the country, removed Cuomo on Aug. 5 following Washington Free Beacon inquiries. In the wake of ActBlue's decision, left-wing activists turned their ire towards NGP VAN. Melissa Byrne, a two-time Bernie Sanders campaign alum who was banned from the Trump Tower, praised ActBlue for removing Cuomo. She is now demanding that NGP VAN follow suit.
"Actblue putting a line out there puts all campaigns on notice," Byrne wrote hours after ActBlue removed Cuomo. "It is meaningful in the space." Byrne specifically called on the data collection organization to remove Cuomo: "Will @NGPVAN keep Cuomo off their fundraising tool?"
Ryan Alexander, a longtime Democratic operative and partner at the liberal Fireside Campaigns group, also wants Cuomo off NGP VAN. Minutes after ActBlue booted Cuomo, Alexander asked when NGP VAN would follow suit and pointed out Cuomo's still-active NGP VAN fundraising page: "Will @NGPVAN follow @actblue's lead? Cuomo uses NGP fundraising pages on his website."
NGP VAN has leveraged its relationship with the DNC to work with virtually every major Democratic campaign, as well as hundreds of labor unions. Cuomo paid NGP VAN at least $12,000 this year, according to campaign finance documents reviewed by the Free Beacon. The firm has built a reputation on working with Democrats who face misconduct allegations. In addition to its ongoing support for Cuomo, the platform still works with the Lincoln Project even after media reports revealed that the organization's top brass knew that cofounder John Weaver preyed on boys as young as 14.
New York election law allows Cuomo, who is set to leave office on Aug. 25, to spend his $18 million war chest on another gubernatorial run in the future or on donations to other candidates who seek office. According to several reports, some in Cuomo's inner circle say he may mount another run for governor in 2022. In a survey released on Aug. 9, the day before Cuomo announced his resignation, the Democratic polling firm Slingshot Strategies found him leading a field of 15 potential candidates. His job approval sat at 72 percent, one of the highest in the country.
As Cuomo ponders his political future, he has a brain trust deeply connected to the Biden administration and other nationwide Democrats on whom to rely. In addition to his brother Chris Cuomo, Andrew has talked to Lis Smith, Jefrey Pollock, and other well-connected Democrats for advice on his political future.