Airbnb to spend millions in NYC local elections

Airbnb is set to spend millions of dollars in this year’s New York City local elections as it ratchets up its fight to ease short-term rental restrictions in the city.

Airbnb’s super PAC, Affordable New York, has reported raising $5 million, and it’s already spending this money on local elections. That makes the super PAC the biggest spender of the campaign season so far, according to Gothamist.

So far, the super PAC has spent $600,000 on ads and mailers for City Council candidates supporting Airbnb’s agenda. Notably, it has yet to spend money on the mayoral race, though Airbnb’s North American policy and strategy director told the publication that the company was “just getting started” on its campaign spending.

Affordable New York still has more than $4 million yet to be deployed. Money speaks, though candidates are likely wary of the company’s support as it could bring about issues with the powerful Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.

“Airbnb has tried this before and each time their money hasn’t influenced elected officials and candidates who know that dollars don’t vote,” Hotel Trades Council political director Bhav Tibrewal said in a statement.

A handful of Democratic mayoral candidates oppose easing the restrictions put in place on short-term rentals in the city. Speaker Adrienne Adams, however, sponsored a bill to allow one- and two-family homeowners to list short-term rentals without being present, legislation that has since been gutted.

A spokesperson for Adrienne Adams’ campaign declined to say if the speaker would welcome support from Airbnb, which is lagging behind many of her competitors financially.

As for the mayoral contenders, City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assembly member Zohran Mamdani have all come out in support of the city’s short-term rental restrictions.

The positions of incumbent mayor Eric Adams and top candidate Andrew Cuomo are less clear, though both have received backing from the Hotel Trades Council in the past. The restrictions also were enacted under Eric Adams’ watch.

— Holden Walter-Warner