NY Board Denies Blakeman $7M in Campaign Funds

The New York State Public Campaign Finance Board voted 4-3 along party lines on Tuesday to deny Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman up to $7 million in public matching funds, citing errors in his campaign's filing paperwork related to his running mate. The decision, made in the first year of the state's new public financing program, leaves Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, at a significant financial disadvantage against Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul in the 2026 race.

The denial stemmed from a recent law requiring gubernatorial candidates to file jointly with their lieutenant governor running mates for certification in the program. Blakeman submitted his initial application in December 2023, before selecting Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood as his running mate. Although he amended other aspects of the application after choosing Hood, he did not update it to include Hood before a February deadline, and Hood did not separately file for certification. Democratic commissioners, who hold a voting majority on the seven-member bipartisan board, argued that the rules were clear and unanimously adopted in December. "There are rules, there are laws, there are...