Politics and N.Y. matching funds: Bruce Blakeman must be approved for public dollars |
The New York State Public Campaign Finance Board is providing matching funds for statewide offices for the first time this year and the seven commissioners have to decide whether it succeeds by emulating the highly successful nonpartisan New York City Campaign Finance Board or fails by engaging in the standard partisan snipping of the state Board of Elections and every local Board of Elections, where Democrats and Republicans always fight.
The test will be whether the PCFB allows the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, to be eligible for matching funds, up to $3.5 million should there be a GOP primary and up to $3.5 million in the general election against Gov. Hochul, who, to her shame, is bypassing the voluntary program.
Blakeman must be approved; to deny him on a partisan basis will kill this program that was first crafted by a special commission in 2019.
The NYC CFB has worked superbly from the beginning, starting........