Blakeman to argue Friday for another chance at state matching funds

ALBANY — Lawyers for Republican Bruce Blakeman will argue Friday that a state board improperly denied him access to up to $3.5 million in public matching funds in his effort to defeat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The state’s Public Campaign Finance Board voted 4-3 along partisan lines in March to remove Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, from the program over a paperwork issue,  but the decision was roundly criticized by Republicans on the board and good government groups.

Blakeman filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Albany County earlier this month asking a judge to allow him to remain in the matching funds program. 

Hochul has a significant financial advantage, with $20 million on hand, according to her January campaign finance report, while Blakeman had just over $1 million. He could be eligible for up to $3.5 million in public funds if reinstated to the program.

The issue comes down to a "joint certification" application that Blakeman filled out to qualify for the program but his running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, did not.

The Democratic majority on the board said Republicans were aware of the requirement for a joint application and Blakeman failed to correct the problem by an early March deadline.

"These are candidates for governor of the State of New York," Barbara Lifton, board chair and a former Democrat assemblywoman, said. "They're seeking millions of dollars from a program and they're not paying any attention? I'm dubious, you know, about that argument."

Blakeman and his Republican allies argued the board should have allowed his campaign to fix the problem. They say the board never alerted the campaign there was an issue and there was no form for both candidates to file.

"This wasn't anything intentional, nothing criminal," board member Anthony Casale, a former Republican assemblyman, said during the March board meeting to deny Blakeman access to the program. "It was strictly a bureaucratic snafu, and we ought to have the guts to correct it."

The attorneys for the Public Campaign Finance Board are asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the state election law offers little flexibility when it comes to deadlines.

Blakeman filed to participate in the program months before he selected Hood as his running mate.

Republican state legislators proposed a bill earlier this month that would force the board to accept an amended application from Blakeman to correct the filing error. Hochul is not participating in the state’s matching funds program, which matches small dollar donations with public funds.

Blakeman has been able to raise around $3 million since launching his candidacy in December, with much of it coming from the Nassau County GOP committee and his county executive campaign account.