Pro-Mamdani political action committee focuses on Black homeownership
In the ongoing primary race for New York's Democratic nomination, a new player has entered the scene: Livable Future PAC. This progressive advocacy group, led by Pete Sikora, also serves as the climate and inequality campaigns director for New York Communities for Change (NYCC), has launched an independent expenditure committee with the aim of helping Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani improve his margins with Black homeowners.
The PAC plans to target African-American and Caribbean-American voters in the neighborhoods of Wakefield in the Bronx and East Flatbush/Canarsie in Brooklyn. According to Livable Future PAC, these voters could be won over by messaging focused on how Mamdani's pro-climate policies, particularly his support for enforcing the Local Law 97 energy efficiency mandate, could help lower utility bills and decrease pollution in their communities.
The PAC's pitch to potential voters is that Mamdani would further job creation, make energy bills more affordable, and lower pollution through policies to maximize energy efficiency. Livable Future PAC aims to raise and spend about $50,000, which will fund at least two full-time staffers focused on messaging and canvassing.
The latest polls show Black voters breaking for Mamdani over Cuomo by double digits. A Marist College poll conducted Sept. 8 to 11 showed Mamdani with a lead of 21 points among Black voters, while a YouGov/CBS poll conducted Sept. 7 to 13 showed Mamdani with a lead of 15 points over Cuomo among Black voters.
However, during the primary, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo ran about 35 points ahead of Mamdani in the same neighborhoods. Mamdani's campaign already had an army of volunteer canvassers, but the addition of Livable Future PAC's canvassers and phonebankers, who knocked on New Yorkers' doors 1.6 million times during the primary, could tip the balance in Mamdani's favour.
It's important to note that Livable Future PAC cannot legally coordinate with the Mamdani campaign. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo's campaign, dismissed Livable Future PAC's attempt to shift Black voters away from Cuomo and toward Mamdani.
Canvassing homeowners to highlight Mamdani's pro-climate policies could also help NYCC build support for more local laws aimed at increasing energy efficiency. In the Wakefield area in the Bronx and the East Flatbush/Canarsie neighborhoods in Brooklyn, the voter group supporting Mamdani consists mainly of the working-class population seeking progressive change. Their focus in climate protection policies is on implementing strong, worker-centered environmental reforms.
As the primary race heats up, the impact of Livable Future PAC's efforts remains to be seen. However, with the momentum Mamdani has gained among Black voters and the additional support from the PAC, he is well-positioned to make a strong showing in the primary.
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