Loss of matching funds could deal large blow to Blakeman's campaign

ALBANY — The prospect that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman might not qualify for the state's public campaign finance program could deal a serious blow to his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The question of whether Blakeman has met the requirements emerged this week, as the Republican candidate looks to the matching funds program to compete with Hochul, who has a reputation as a prodigious fundraiser.

Raising enough money to compete with Hochul has been Blakeman’s biggest challenge to date, said Larry Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University. Competing statewide could take tens of millions of dollars.

Levy said New York is well-known for obscure, even inscrutable, election laws that have tripped up plenty of professionally run campaigns. And the consequences can be profound.

"This would be a near existential blow to whatever relatively slim chances he has based on party enrollment, Hochul’s popularity and her huge lead in cash on hand," Levy said.

Democratic members of the state Public Campaign Finance Board, which certifies and pays candidates, say Blakeman and his running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, filed incorrect paperwork to qualify for the matching funds program, which is available to gubernatorial candidates for the first time in 2026.

The law in this case requires a "joint certification" application. The board received an application only from Blakeman.

A spokeswoman for Blakeman said in a statement that the state Board of Elections lists him as eligible for the matching funds program and the form the Democrats on the board wanted him to fill out doesn’t exist.

The state website lists Blakeman as certified for the program on Dec. 17, 2025. Eight days earlier, the Public Campaign Finance Board unanimously approved rules bringing the program in line with a change to state law that put candidates for governor and lieutenant governor on the same ticket.

The deadline to register a committee and certify in the program for the 2026 election cycle was Feb. 23, 2026.

Hochul’s campaign declined to comment.

The governor currently holds a commanding lead, both in terms of fundraising and polling.

Her campaign reported $20 million on hand as of her last campaign finance report filed with the state Board of Elections in January. And a Siena Research Institute poll last month found her leading Blakeman by 20 points, 51% to 31%.

Blakeman has raised $3.2 million since announcing his campaign in December. That includes more than $2 million in transfers from the Nassau County Republican Committee and his county executive campaign account.

His campaign reported having $1.6 million on hand, according to a campaign finance report filed earlier this week.

Republican political strategist Mike Dawidziak said if the board does remove Blakeman from the program, it might provide Blakeman with a much-needed talking point in raising contributions.

Dawidziak noted there are plenty of national Republican donors and political action committees that might see the board’s decision as Hochul’s administration putting its thumb on the scale for her.

"I think the Democrats have to be very careful how they play this," he said. "What you don't want is to just give him a gift."