(The Center Square) — New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman is suing a Democratic-led board that blocked his campaign from millions of dollars in public matching funds in his challenge to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The lawsuit, filed late Wednesday, asks a Supreme Court judge to invalidate the state’s Public Campaign Finance Board’s decision last month to block him from participating in a state program that matches public funds with small campaign donations for qualifying candidates.
Blakeman’s legal challenge claims the board exceeded its authority when it voted 4-3 along party lines to kick him out of the program.
“This determination casts serious doubt on whether the New York State Public Financing Board is truly a bipartisan state agency,” Blakeman’s attorney Adam Fusco said in a statement. “Democracy is about fostering participation in the electoral process, not playing partisan politics designed to weaponize the system and clear the field of meaningful competition.”
In March, the five-member board, which includes two Republicans, voted along party lines to turn down Blakeman’s request for public funds after ruling that his application was “deficient” because he didn’t list his running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood and file the appropriate paperwork to seek the funding.
Republicans blasted the move, accusing Democrats of conspiring with Hochul’s re-election campaign to deprive Blakeman of access to public financing he needs to remain competitive in the race.
Under the city’s public financing program, candidates for governor must raise at least $500,000 from 5,000 New York-based donors who give $1,050 or less. The first $250 of those contributions is matched 6-to-1 by taxpayers. The maximum payout for a candidate is $3.5 million for both the primary and general elections.
Blakeman reported $1.6 million cash on hand earlier this month and has asked the board to approve matching funds for $1.4 million.
Meanwhile, Hochul reported more than $21.2 million in her campaign account as of mid-January, according to state disclosures. Her campaign declined to participate in the matching public funds program.
Blakeman, 70, is making his first run for governor with President Donald Trump’s endorsement. He accepted the party’s nomination in February at a three-day GOP convention on Long Island. The GOP ticket is hoping to win back the governor’s office for Republicans for the first time in more than two decades.
Hochul, 67, is seeking re-election to a second full term with her running mate, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
The latest polls in the race show the incumbent governor with a double-digit lead over her Republican challenger, but suggest that the race has tightened. Neither candidate faces a primary challenger ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
