Opponents Criticize Andrew Cuomo After $1m Doordash Donation

NEW YORK — Mayoral candidates slammed food delivery giant DoorDash after it donated $1 million to a super PAC supporting Andrew Cuomo’s bid — the single largest contribution in the contest.

“DoorDash made clear the explicit purpose of that contribution is to buy Cuomo’s victory in the mayor's race so he can roll back the minimum pay and workplace protections,” City Comptroller Brad Lander said Tuesday.

Lander held a press conference solely to highlight the donation, first reported by POLITICO. It comes after the company spent nearly $900,000 in the last two years lobbying the city government on regulations, including those the company fought to set a minimum wage for delivery drivers. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie called the donation “an affront to our democracy” during his own press conference Tuesday. And state Sen. Jessica Ramos is lambasting DoorDash for not paying into New York’s unemployment insurance system.

The left-leaning politicians have aligned themselves with deliveristas, an army of workers contracted by the platform to deliver food, typically on e-bikes. As a City Council member, Lander sponsored a 2021 bill — which has since become law — kicking off the process to mandate a minimum wage for the workers. The deliveristas often find themselves at odds with the corporation — they protested outside DoorDash's office last month, alleging ongoing wage theft.

As the former governor maintains his wide lead in the Democratic primary, opponents hope to damage his standing by arguing that the singularly massive contribution from a company with so much business before the city is tantamount to corruption.

“Think about what this signals to corporations elsewhere,” Myrie said. “You could drop a million dollars into a super PAC to influence the person that is going to regulate you going forward.”

Ramos, chair of the Senate’s labor committee, is sending a letter to the state Department of Labor Wednesday, urging “immediate and concrete action to ensure that all companies operating in New York’s gig economy — including Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and other similar app-based platforms — are fully reporting worker wages and contributing their fair share to the state’s Unemployment Insurance.”

Car-hailing platform Uber is paying into the state's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund following a 2023 legal settlement, but DoorDash has resisted, arguing its workers are independent contractors.

The state’s fund is running a massive deficit following Covid, and experts have said companies like DoorDash would help balance the books by reporting wages and contributing payroll taxes.

DoorDash declined to comment on Ramos’ letter, as well as the criticism for its donation.

Ramos introduced a bill months ago to force companies like DoorDash to pay up, but she was eager to make the connection to the mayoral race after the company’s donation.

“It seems DoorDash found the perfect partner for its bad practices. No one better than Quid Pro Cuomo to show them the ropes,” she said in a statement.

Cuomo’s campaign declined to comment on DoorDash’s business practices, deferring questions to the pro-Cuomo super PAC called Fix the City. A spokesperson for the super PAC pointed out that under Cuomo’s governorship, the state raised the minimum wage.

“It is his record of success as Governor, Attorney General and HUD Secretary that proves he is the mayor for this moment, and the mayor we need now,” the spokesperson, Liz Benjamin, said in a statement.

Cuomo has proposed cracking down on e-bikes, and holding delivery apps like DoorDash accountable for reckless riders. The company would seek to have a say in any regulations.

Unlike her opponents, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams was hesitant to criticize Cuomo on the DoorDash donation.

“People or organizations endorse who they want to and for whatever their reasons are,” she said when asked about the contribution Tuesday.

The Council passed a compromise bill this month raising the cap on fees companies like DoorDash can charge restaurants, following intense lobbying and a lawsuit.

Cris Seda Chabrier contributed to this report.