Campaign board should approve Blakeman for public funds

The state’s Public Campaign Finance Board on Tuesday is poised to decide whether Bruce Blakeman, the Republican nominee for governor, will be included this election cycle in the funding program's maiden statewide voyage. 

There is a hitch, however. A paperwork problem has made board staff disinclined to approve the Nassau County executive. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor are required to apply jointly to the board for six-to-one matching funds for up to $250 per individual contribution. The joint-filing requirement was enacted Dec. 9.

But Blakeman filed his application before his running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, was selected. So Blakeman’s paperwork didn’t include the lieutenant governor candidate.

Not that this technical omission would have been self-evident. It seems the relevant form had not been updated to include space for two candidates. In other words, the board’s own application didn’t even give notice of this recently created rule – itself a technical flaw by the board. 

For one thing, Gov. Kathy Hochul, who signed the law that established the new public-finance system for statewide and legislative candidates, isn’t participating. She’s far ahead in the money chase, having reported $20 million in cash on hand by January.

This month, Blakeman reported having nearly $2 million so far. Given the incumbent’s fundraising advantage, this means Blakeman stands to rely more on matching public funds than would a flusher candidate.  That’s a tough position to be in. Public financing is supposed to help even the playing field.

Polls at this very early point show public support for Blakeman way behind Hochul's, which means he needs dollars to get a message out.

Hochul is also at a much bigger bureaucratic advantage on this issue than perhaps she deserves to be. The board has seven members. One is picked by the governor. Then there are two Democratic and two Republican appointees who are members of the state Board of Elections. The legislative majority leaders choose another member and one more is picked by the minority leaders. 

That means an intentional 4-3 edge for Democrats, the dominant state party. Participation is voluntary and the program includes caps on spending and fundraising. The taxpayer-funded operation began with the 2024 state legislative election cycle. This year is its first use in statewide races, including the comptroller and attorney general races.

Common sense and fairness would dictate that Blakeman and Hood be permitted to correct the board filing so that they are not penalized for trivial reasons in this initial rollout. Hopefully, the board will rule that way without delay. Otherwise, the whole program long advocated by good-government candidates to stop wealthy donors and special interests from wielding outsized influence will draw suspicions of improper bias.