CUOMO'S CRYPTO HAIL MARY UNLIKELY TO GIVE AN EDGE OVER MAMDANI

Summary from the TLDR Crypto newsletter

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to create a "chief innovation officer" and "Innovation Council" for blockchain, biotech, and AI to attract emerging tech companies, but trails Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani by double digits just two weeks before the election. The crypto appeal comes as the Winklevoss twins, who donated over $30 million to crypto lobbies this year, harshly criticized Mamdani, while pro-crypto hedge fund managers, including Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman, have donated millions to Cuomo's campaign in recent weeks. However, the mayor's office has limited ability to influence crypto policy as financial frameworks are made at state and federal levels, with outgoing Mayor Eric Adams' crypto hub efforts including taking paychecks in Bitcoin and establishing the Office of Digital Assets, yielding mixed results despite the city seeing a 177% increase in crypto startups and 143% increase in blockchain startups since 2019.