Obama Adviser David Axelrod To Fundraise For City Council Candidate

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A former top adviser for the Obama administration will help fundraise for City Council candidate Ronnie Cho on Wednesday, according to Cho.

David Axelrod, a longtime Democratic strategist and top adviser to former President Barack Obama, will join Cho at a Wednesday morning breakfast, the New York Daily News first reported. Cho is running for District 2's open City Council seat, which represents the East Village, the Lower East Side, Gramercy and Murray Hill. Cho, himself a former staffer in the Obama White House, boasts an impressive resume but faces a daunting challenger in Carlina Rivera, who has been endorsed by Rosie Mendez, the current council member for District 2. Rivera worked for Mendez as her legislative director. Thus far, Mendez has surpassed Cho in both fundraising and local endorsements. In addition to Mendez, Rivera has been backed by Comptroller Scott Stringer and U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, among other elected officials. (Want more locals news? Subscribe here for free breaking news, features, neighborhood updates and more from Patch.)

Cho has progressed in closing the vast fundraising gap he previously faced against Rivera. Last month, Cho's campaign coffers trailed Rivera's by more than $65,000. Now, Cho has raised more than $95,000, compared to Rivera's $120,000, according to the latest filings.

Like his high-profile backer in Axelrod, most of Cho's donations are coming from out of the city. According to the New York City Campaign Finance Board, $69,425 of the money Cho has raised so far comes from outside of New York City.

Axelrod will join Cho for an 8 a.m. breakfast on Wednesday at the Hotel Americano in Chelsea, which isn't any of the neighborhoods that Cho is running to represent. To buy a seat at the fundraiser, you can pay for a $100 "Change" ticket, a $250 "Hope" ticket, or a $500 "Yes We Can" ticket, all nods to different Obama slogans. There are also $1,000 "Believer" seats available.

Lead image via Chip Somodevilla / Staff / Getty Images News.