More than 100 candidates have registered for a new state public matching funds program that helps boost small campaign donations, marking a major milestone in New York’s inaugural election cycle. But what the campaigns signed up for may not be what they get if Gov. Kathy Hochul signs a bill passed by both houses of the Legislature at the end of session.
The pending legislation would dramatically overhaul the public matching program adopted in 2020 and launched last November that seeks to boost small donors by matching political contributions with public funds.
The legislation before the governor would increase the number of donors candidates need to qualify for matching funds — a change that critics say gives incumbents an advantage. The proposed amendments would also allow a candidate to receive matching funds for the first $250 of any donation by an individual up to the maximum allowed for their respective office, as opposed to restricting matching funds only to donations of $5 to $250.
Proponents of the original program — the one candidates are currently registered for — are urging Hochul not to sign the bill. They warn that the changes will dilute the power of small-dollar donors and undermine the public matching system’s original intent.
“The way that the program was enacted responds to a status quo under which large donors have an outsized say and an outsized influence of our state’s politics,” said Joanna Zdanys, senior counsel in the elections and government program at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Democrat Claire Valdez is an Assembly candidate in District 37 in Queens who was recently endorsed by the New York City Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in her primary fight against incumbent Assemblymember Juan Ardila, who has faced sexual misconduct allegations and calls for his resignation. Ardila denies the misconduct claims.
Valdez said the state’s current matching funds program aligns with her campaign’s focus on grassroots…
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