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Governor Andrew Cuomo is increasingly popular here in New York, but his star is so bright that it also shines on a national stage—so much so that people were willing to pay $50,000 to attend a panel discussion with him at a gathering of Democratic governors in Midtown.

Cuomo won't be pocketing any of the cash himself. The money goes to the Democratic Governors Association, which has 12 campaigns to fund across the country.

But the event, which was closed to the media, turned heads, not only because of the price tag, but the fact that it appeared private corporations were able to pay for special access to Cuomo. The governor did not seem concerned.

“I and other governors or elected officials are in rooms with people who do business with the government all day long. It's this room. It's every room you walk into,” said Cuomo.

Cuomo said the DGA event is really no different than any normal fundraiser, despite the steep entry fee.

“Your issue of, well you are in rooms where people contribute money, that is the current state of politics, and that is every elected official in every fund raising forum,” said Cuomo.

His participation may have seemed at odds with Cuomo's public calls for campaign finance reform in New York.

“One of the things we have to work on is getting money out of politics,” said Cuomo.

The DGA event was expected to raise $1 million. The donors will eventually be disclosed, but when they are, it won't necessarily be clear which ones paid to be in the room with Cuomo.