Blakeman Sues Campaign Finance Board Over Match Funds Decision

ALBANY, NY — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is suing the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board and the State Board of Elections Wednesday, just over a week after the finance board voted 4-3 along party lines to deny his gubernatorial campaign access to state match funds.

In the complaint filed in Albany County Supreme Court Wednesday, Blakeman and Todd Hood, as co-plaintiffs through their attorney Adam Fusco, seek a ruling from the court that the finance board’s decision to disqualify the Blakeman campaign from the matching program was “invalid arbitrary and capricious” on 14 different bases. Listed as co-defendants in the complaint are the State public Campaign Finance Board and the State Board of Elections, with commissioners Hentry T. Berger, Peter S. Kosinski, Essma Bagnuola and Anthony J. Casale listed individually as commissioners constituting the board. The board of elections did not respond to requests for comment on the suit Wednesday.

In the complaint, Blakeman and Hood’s attorney says that election law doesn’t give the finance board the authority to remove a candidate without giving them opportunity to plead their case; that any alleged defects in Blakeman’s paperwork were insignificant because lieutenant governor candidates aren’t allowed to maintain their own campaign committees; and that the campaign finance board had failed to provide Blakeman and Hood the proper paperwork needed to qualify for matching funds.

Among the judgements Blakeman and Hood are seeking through their attorney is “a Declaratory Judgment…that the paperwork submitted by Petitioner Blakeman to be included in the PCFB Program was proper and sufficient (as was determined by the PCFB) and that the certification of Petitioner Blakeman to participate in the Program dated December 17, 2025 was proper and sufficient, and that he is and remains a properly certified participant in the PCFB Program for the 2026 Election Cycle,” the complaint reads.

In a statement Wednesday, Fusco raised questions of partisanship, similar to those raised by Blakeman’s campaign in the immediate aftermath of the finance board’s Mar. 31 ruling.

“This determination casts serious doubt on whether the PCFB is truly a bipartisan state agency. Democracy is about fostering participation in the electoral process, not playing partisan politics designed to weaponize the system and clear the field of meaningful competition,” Fusco said. “The stakes have never been higher. The race for Governor is tightening by the day. The PCFB should be doing everything in its power to maintain a level playing field…We are excited to finally have an opportunity to be heard on this deprivation of due process. We look forward to our day in court.”