DoorDash's $1.4M campaign against Mamdani dwarfed by $131.5M wage-theft settlement
The delivery company spent heavily to block the NYC mayor who would oversee penalties for underpaying 264,000 workers.
What to know
- DoorDash spent $1.4 million in 2025 to oppose Mamdani's mayoral campaign, betting that blocking him would shield the company from stricter regulation and enforcement.
- Mamdani won despite the spending and his administration announced a $131.5 million settlement Tuesday for wage theft—roughly 100 times DoorDash's campaign investment.
- The settlement is the largest worker settlement in NYC history, affecting 264,000 delivery workers and demonstrating the cost of DoorDash's failed political strategy.
Zohran Mamdani NYC MayorDoorDash Delivery platform companyFix the City Super PACGreg Coleridge Campaign finance advocate
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage posts
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Election spending reframed as failed corporate investment
Campaign finance expert Greg Coleridge characterized corporate donations as investments seeking policy returns. He noted the irony that DoorDash's attempt to influence the election through spending was unsuccessful, leading instead to enforcement action.
“It's not a contribution, it's an investment, with the donor or investor expecting something in return. Here is an instance where organized money from a company that was trying to avoid being responsible and accountable, was unsuccessful.”
— Greg Coleridge -
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In a wage-theft settlement, DoorDash now has to pay its workers around 100 times what it spent trying to beat Mamdani. https:// theintercept.com/2026/09/23/do ordash-delivery-nyc-mamdani-wage-theft-settlement
2 more of the top 3 · 21 posts in this stretch
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1790101466 | DoorDash Agrees to $131.5M Settlement for Shortchanging Workers | https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/nyregion/doordash-settlem... | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49805887 | 3 comments1790224159 | DoorDash's $131.5M Settlement with the City of New York | https://about.doordash.com/en-us/news/dcwp |…
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100% they have had too much political protection and gave grown their coffers to the magnitude that puts their org above the law almost. In this case, it's a small win but given the skewed nature of our society, I'll still gladly take this win bc some greedy soulless husk at doordash corporate is upset by this action
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background
Mamdani highlights enforcement and wage-theft consequences — The mayor released a statement emphasizing the scale of damage to workers and the importance of regulatory enforcement. The settlement underscores the irony that DoorDash spent 100 times more money trying to block Mamdani's election than it will pay in penalties under his administration.
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background
DoorDash announces $131.5 million wage-theft settlement — DoorDash settled with New York City for underpaying 264,000 delivery workers, the largest worker settlement in the city's history. The settlement was announced under the Mamdani administration.
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background
Fix the City runs $31 million campaign against Mamdani — The super PAC, largely funded by corporations and billionaires including DoorDash, spent $31 million on ads, calls, texts, and mailers portraying Mamdani as having "radically dangerous ideas" and "a risk New York can't afford." The group altered Mamdani's beard in campaign materials to appear longer and darker.
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background
DoorDash donates $1 million to anti-Mamdani super PAC — DoorDash contributed $1 million to Fix the City, a super PAC opposing mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The payment came as Mamdani's campaign was gaining momentum ahead of the June 2025 primary.
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background
Mamdani wins NYC mayoral election — Despite DoorDash's $1.4 million opposition campaign, Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race. He had campaigned on regulating delivery apps and strengthening worker protections, positions backed by delivery worker groups.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by The Intercept, 1d ago · also HN Best, HN Frontpage
1 more headline
What people are saying 16 voices from 3 sites · best of 21 · verbatim
- Yesterday
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Seeing that Doordash spent $1.4M trying to defeat Mandami, and they were defeated. Now they have to pay 100x what they spent trying to block him on a wage theft settlement for ripping off their drivers. Wage theft is not something we can tolerate. https:// theintercept.com/2026/09/23/do ordash-delivery-nyc-mamdani-wage-theft-settlement/
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Bless Zohran for a lot of reasons, but especially, *man* is he a fabulous political teaching tool for my incredibly historically self-involved and kneejerk-dismissive af brother who lives in NYC, like everything he's doing (so far... let me not get too attached!), his very existence being in opposition to our fuckwad corporate overlords, *rules*…
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The Intercept, from yesterday: DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop Mamdani From Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why https:// theintercept.com/2026/09/23/do ordash-delivery-nyc-mamdani-wage-theft-settlement/ @ theintercept
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I feel like I recall this being a thing from close to the very beginning?I've used one of these delivery services directly only once since they've all existed. They have been pretty blatant scum since the rip.
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“ DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop # Mamdani From Becoming NYC Mayor. Now We Know Why. In a wage-theft settlement, # DoorDash now has to pay its workers around 100 times what it spent trying to beat Zohran Mamdani.” https:// theintercept.com/2026/09/23/do ordash-delivery-nyc-mamdani-wage-theft-settlement/
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The dnc didnt WANT anyone better than a sexual assault governor who resigned in disgrace. The donors liked him. That’s all that mattered.
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Interesting that the country that says it is not capitalist is winning at capitalism And once the corpses pile high, the government takes the spoils of war from the winner.
- Sep 23
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Your schools are socialist. Your roads are socialist. Your police are socialist. If the government provides the service to everyone from tax dollars - that's socialism. "In capitalism, man exploits his fellow man. In communism, it's the other way around."
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Right, but thats the point. This all seems like astroturfed nonsense to drive division. There's been tons of posts with Mamdani getting credit for something that was going on prior to his being in office and comment sections are riddled with "this is why Dems are scared of Mamdani" nonsense comments.
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Ever since it was found that they took part of driver's tips for themselves, I didn't trust the company
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DoorDash and gig companies generally are a play to destabilize employment and turn as many people as possible from employees entitled to benefits and legal protections into contractors that can be discarded at whim. How is ordering, say, a pizza via DoorDash in any way better for you, as a customer, than ordering from a pizza place that employs…
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> Founders: Tony Xu, Stanley Tang, Andy Fang, and Evan Moore (Stanford students at the time)Guess never got a chance to learn empathy.
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Even though the press likes to give Mamdani all the credit for these types of things, this started with a law passed under DeBlasio, and most of the investigation was done under Adams.
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services like door-dash are literally built on a concept of a sucker pays more. you order a meal that costs $10. total charge comes to $25. then delivery worker made $5 on that order. + the delivery worker expects a tip.which means the company sees both the delivery worker and the person who ordered as suckers. no wonder ride-share companies…
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What does "this is not a pay wall" mean - if I have to give personal information over, that is a price.Didn't read - too expensive.
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https:// theintercept.com/2026/09/23/do ordash-delivery-nyc-mamdani-wage-theft-settlement/