DoorDash spent around $1.4 million trying to stop Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor in the 2025 New York City mayoral election. The company’s settlement with New York City to pay 264,000 underpaid delivery workers was announced Tuesday, and it totals $131.5 million. That settlement is now the largest worker settlement in the city’s history.
The timing is notable. DoorDash spent money against Mamdani during the election cycle, while simultaneously facing an investigation into how it paid its workers. The settlement was announced two weeks after Mamdani assumed office. The story raises questions about corporate influence in elections and the role of super PACs.
Election Spending Breakdown
Through the election cycle, DoorDash spent around $1.4 million against Mamdani and in favor of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The company’s $1 million gift to a super PAC called Fix the City was the largest donation in the race at the time, and it drew criticism from other candidates.
Fix the City spent $31 million in the election, accounting for nearly half of total outside spending. DoorDash was one of the top donors to the super PAC. The organization is funded largely by big corporations and billionaires. The campaign finance disclosure at the end of Fix the City ads named Michael Bloomberg, DoorDash, and John Hess as the top three donors to the organization.
Overall independent spending by super PACs to defeat Mamdani was more than eight times what was spent in his favor, according to The Intercept’s analysis.
Settlement Terms
Under the settlement, DoorDash pays over $115 million in worker restitution and over $16 million in civil penalties and administrative fines. DoorDash must submit monthly compliance data reports to the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for three years and will be monitored through workers sharing data with the city.
The investigation was conducted by the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, which found that DoorDash deliberately paid workers below the Minimum Pay Rate or not at all. The settlement is the largest worker settlement in the city’s history.
DoorDash said in a statement, “Simply put, we screwed up. Our mistakes meant some Dashers were underpaid or paid late. While these mistakes weren’t intentional, that doesn’t make them okay.”
The Campaign Against Mamdani
Mamdani had promised during his campaign to regulate delivery apps and offer further protections for delivery workers. That stance won him the support of delivery worker groups. The settlement was announced two weeks after he assumed office.
Fix the City altered Mamdani’s beard in a mailer to make it appear longer and darker. The Muslim candidate called the move “blatant Islamophobia.” The smear campaign was part of a broader pattern of attacks on Mamdani during the race.
Greg Coleridge, a former co-director of Move to Amend, said, “It’s not a contribution, it’s an investment, with the donor or investor expecting something in return.”
Political Contributions
DoorDash also gave $1.8 million to Local Economies Forward NY, a super PAC that contributed more than $360,000 to Cuomo’s campaign. The company’s political giving was extensive throughout the election cycle.
In February 2025, the attorney general settled with DoorDash for $16.75 million after the company used tips to subsidize workers’ guaranteed pay. In May 2024, DoorDash paid $75,000 to settle claims from New York Attorney General Letitia James that it rejected applicants with criminal histories in violation of the New York City Fair Chance Act.
Reaction From Workers
Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Worker’s Justice Project, said DoorDash “decided to invest money in trying to buy our city’s democracy.”
Announcing the settlement, Mamdani said, “The size of this settlement shows the damage done to workers by wage theft. But it also shows that enforcement matters.”
Two weeks after taking office, Mamdani warned delivery apps to comply with worker protections and sued Motoclick.
The Numbers
The numbers are staggering. DoorDash spent $1.4 million against Mamdani and in favor of Cuomo, then settled for $131.5 million. The settlement is the largest worker settlement in the city’s history. The election spending was outsized, with Fix the City accounting for nearly half of all outside spending.
| Event | Amount |
|---|---|
| DoorDash settlement to workers | $131.5 million |
| DoorDash gift to Fix the City | $1 million |
| Fix the City spending | $31 million |
| Total outside spending against Mamdani | More than eight times what was spent in his favor |
The settlement dwarfs the spending that provoked it.
Corporate Influence in Elections
The story raises questions about corporate influence in elections. Super PACs are funded by big corporations and billionaires, and they spend millions to shape the outcome of local races. DoorDash was one of the top donors to Fix the City, and the PAC’s spending was substantial.
The smear campaign against Mamdani was particularly ugly. Altering a candidate’s beard to make it appear longer and darker is a crude form of Islamophobia. The Muslim candidate called it “blatant Islamophobia,” and the incident highlights how personal attacks can overshadow policy debates.
The Takeaway
The settlement is historic, but it does not fully answer the question of influence. DoorDash spent millions to defeat a candidate who wanted to regulate delivery apps and protect workers, while the company was under investigation for underpaying those same workers. The timing is suspicious, even if the settlement itself is fair.
The settlement shows that enforcement matters. It also shows that when companies face scrutiny, they can settle for a large sum and move on. The workers get restitution, but the political influence remains unaddressed.
The story is a reminder of how corporate money shapes American politics. Super PACs funded by big corporations and billionaires spend millions to shape the outcome of local races. The settlement is historic, but it does not erase the question of influence.
- DoorDash spent around $1.4 million against Mamdani and in favor of Cuomo.
- DoorDash gave $1 million to Fix the City, the largest donation in the race.
- Fix the City spent $31 million, nearly half of all outside spending.
- The settlement pays over $115 million in worker restitution and over $16 million in civil penalties and administrative fines.
- The settlement dwarfs the election spending that provoked it.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the small delivery workers who were underpaid and against DoorDash, which spent money against the incoming mayor while simultaneously facing an investigation into how it paid its workers. The timing is notable: DoorDash spent $1.4 million against Mamdani during the election cycle, while the company was under investigation for paying workers below the Minimum Pay Rate or not at all.
This is a case of a company using outside money to fight a candidate who wanted to regulate delivery apps and protect workers, while the company was under investigation for underpaying those same workers. The settlement is historic, but it does not address the influence question. When companies face scrutiny, they can settle for a large sum and move on.
The settlement is fair to the workers who received restitution, but the political influence remains unaddressed. The smear campaign against Mamdani was particularly ugly, with Fix the City altering his beard to make it appear longer and darker. The Muslim candidate called it “blatant Islamophobia,” and the incident shows how personal attacks can overshadow policy debates. The story is a reminder of how corporate money shapes American politics.
Source material: “DoorDash Spent $1.4M Trying to Stop Mamdani from Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why,” theintercept.com.
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