OPINION: Democrats' partisan games continue
May 22-When news broke last week that a judge had overturned the state campaign finance board's decision to deny public matching funds to Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, our first two reactions were as follows: 1) Thank goodness; and 2) Well, there won't be anything for us to write about here. Reaction 1 was consistent with our previous position: When the Democratic-controlled board declared on March 31 that paperwork errors made Mr. Blakeman ineligible, we called the decision "nakedly self-serving" and "one of the most reprehensible partisan stunts we've seen in New York government in years" (and this being New York, that's saying something). Reaction 2 was based on the assumption that because state Supreme Court Justice Denise A. Hartman had so thoroughly spanked the Democrats on the Public Campaign Finance Board - noting the board's "failure to comply with its own regulation" and calling the decision "arbitrary and capricious and affected by error of law" - the board would not possibly appeal. How could they? They were wrong on process. They were wrong on principle. Case closed. Lawyers for the board's four Democrats have submitted a notice of intent to appeal. So we are writing again to say: Haven't you been embarrassed enough? Mr. Blakeman's was one of six campaigns denied eligibility in March by a party-line vote. The reason given for his campaign's rejection: The applications hadn't also been signed by his running mate, Todd Hood. That rule had only recently been added, and the board had neither updated its handbook or training materials to include that regulation, nor notified candidates of the new rule. The board hadn't even created a form on which Mr. Blakeman and his running mate could have applied jointly. And all of that might have been just wrinkles to iron out of a new program if candidates had been given the opportunity to correct their filings - but applicants weren't given that chance. As the Times Union's Timothy Fanning reported, the board's staff acknowledged all of those errors. And yet the board members still have the chutzpah to mount an appeal. Let's be clear on what's at stake here. It's not about Mr. Blakeman individually, but about whether a program designed to be fair and impartial will work for any candidate who meets its requirements, regardless of their political leanings. The campaign finance board is a government body, not an arm of a political party. Appearing to use its rules and bureaucracy to wound a political rival contributes to the public's cynicism about government. It calls into question the legitimacy of the public financing program itself. Also at stake is the integrity of the Democrats who control New York. Not just the ones who comprise the board majority, but the legislative leaders and the governor - the people who appointed the board members and could press them to reconsider their decision. Public campaign financing was intended to make elections more fair and equitable. It is meant to increase the impact of small donors and give candidates without big-money backers a better shot at office. Bending and stretching to block Mr. Blakeman's participation blows a raspberry at all that noble rhetoric. So which is it, Democrats - do you believe in a fairer, more accessible electoral system where regular voters matter and rich donors' ability to influence the outcome is held in check? Or was that just noise you made to cover the sound of your locking the doors to power behind you?
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 8:54 AM.