$22M spent to block Zohran Mamdani? US billionaires Bill Ackman, Bloomberg, Lauder family splurge on NYC mayor polls

Core Points - New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani faces significant opposition from billionaires who have financially supported his opponents [1][2] - Mamdani's campaign has been targeted with over $22 million in donations aimed at undermining his candidacy [3] Group 1: Opposition Funding - 26 billionaires and members of wealthy families have each contributed at least $100,000 to support Mamdani's opponents [2] - Major contributions include: - Michael Bloomberg: $8.3 million to Fix the City [3] - Joseph Gebbia: $3 million to various anti-Mamdani groups [4] - Lauder family: $2.6 million in total [5][6] - Bill Ackman: $1.75 million to anti-Mamdani PACs [8] - Tisch family: $1.2 million in total [9][10] - John Hess and family: $1 million to Fix the City [11] - Daniel Loeb: $775,000 to Fix the City [12] - Barry Diller: $500,000 to Fix the City [13] - Steve Wynn: $500,000 to Fix the City [14] - Marcella Guarino Hymowitz: $400,000 to anti-Mamdani campaigns [15] Group 2: Additional Donors - Other notable billionaire donors include: - David Walentas: $350,000 [17] - Reed Hastings: $250,000 [17] - John Fish: $250,000 [17] - Alice Walton: $200,000 [17] - Deborah Simon: $200,000 [17] - Jerry Speyer: $150,000 [17] - Stephanie Coleman: $150,000 [17] - The Durst family: $110,000 [17] - The Fisher family: $110,000 [17] - Ken Langone: $100,000 [17] Group 3: Election Timeline - Early voting for the New York City mayoral election began on October 4, with election day set for November 4 [18]