Empire State Today

Senate Republican Campaign Committee Chair George Borrello, New York Republican Chairman Ed Cox, and Republican Assembly Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Hawley have criticized Senate Democrats and the Public Campaign Finance Board (PCFB) for allegedly manipulating campaign finance rules. The criticism follows a PCFB meeting where the Democratic majority reportedly passed a resolution to retroactively change regulations, allowing fund transfers to political parties.

Senator Borrello stated, "This is an egregious abuse of the Public Campaign Finance system designed to ensure fair elections, not serve as a slush fund for the Senate Democrats’ political machine." He argued that the resolution changes rules mid-game to protect multiple Senate Democrats who transferred funds to their party committee instead of returning them to the state.

Ed Cox expressed similar concerns, saying, "Albany Democrats are proving once again that corruption is the cornerstone of their political operation," and highlighted Governor Hochul's lack of response.

Steve Hawley remarked on how quickly he believes Senate Majority members corrupted New York’s public campaign financing system. He claimed that $2.1 million was funneled from individual accounts into a statewide campaign committee by Democrats with assistance from their allies on the PCFB. "From the outset, Republicans opposed a statewide public campaign system in part because it exposes taxpayer dollars to possible corruption," he said.

The transfers in question involve over $2.1 million made by Democratic candidates including Jeremy Cooney ($423,183), Michelle Hinchey ($299,887), James Skoufis ($265,756), Patricia Fahy ($337,760), and Elijah Reichlin-Melnick ($219,773). While candidates might argue they did not use public funds for these transactions due to money being fungible, each transfer is considered a violation of PCFB regulations.

Senator Borrello continued his critique by stating: "While every other campaign committee complied with the rules as they were written, the Senate Democrats were caught red-handed funneling money to enrich their campaign arm. Instead of facing the consequences, they changed the rules to suit their needs."

Republican leaders demand accountability and reversal of what they describe as a shameful resolution.