Democratic Governors-Backed Super PAC Reports $4.34 Million Raised to Boost Hochul, Launches Ads Against Blakeman
A super PAC backed by the Democratic Governors Association has reported raising $4.34 million to support Gov. Kathy Hochul’s re-election and has started airing ads attacking her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the New York Post reported.
The committee, Greater Empire State, reported receiving the donations between late July and Oct. 2, according to its latest state campaign filings as cited by the Post. On Saturday it released its first two ads of the general election.
WHO IS FUNDING THE HOCHUL SUPER PAC
According to the Post, three donors gave $1 million each: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; the Greater New York Hospital Association Management Corp.; and Leadership for New York, a super PAC run by political strategist Jay Martin, a former executive director at the New York Apartment Association.
The Post reported that other donations include $600,000 from the Sports Betting Alliance, which pushes online gambling interests. It also listed John B. Hess, chief executive of Hess Corporation, among the donors, without giving an amount.
THE ANTI-BLAKEMAN ADS
The new ads attack “MAGA Bruce Blakeman” for supporting what the group calls “Donald Trump’s cost-raising agenda that is hurting New York,” according to the Post.
Hochul said Trump’s name roughly 20 times during Tuesday’s debate as she tries to tie Blakeman to the president, the Post reported. Blakeman has said that although he and the president are friends, the relationship would not influence his decisions as governor, the Post reported.
Kevin Donohue, a spokesman for the super PAC, told the Post that Hochul “is in a commanding position to win re-election,” adding that “her coattails will help Democrats win big down-ballot.”
“In stark contrast, Bruce Blakeman’s MAGA campaign is struggling with weak polling and fundraising — and an extreme pro-Trump message that couldn’t be more out of touch with New Yorkers,” Donohue said.
WHAT THE BLAKEMAN CAMPAIGN SAYS
Blakeman spokeswoman Madison Spanodemos said the late money for Hochul shows how desperate Democrats are, according to the Post. “The entire nation now realizes that New Yorkers are ready to fire the worst governor in America for her high taxes and soaring electric bills,” Spanodemos told the Post. “Kathy Hochul can spend millions trying to cover for her failed record, but money can’t overshadow the highest taxes and utility bills in the nation,” she said.
A Pollfinity survey released Tuesday showed Blakeman within 3 points of Hochul, the Post reported.
Hochul’s campaign declined to comment to the Post. Last month, the Hochul campaign received $10 million from the state Democratic Committee, according to the Post.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
Sources: New York Post (Oct. 17, 2026), citing Greater Empire State’s state campaign filings, and including statements from the super PAC and the Blakeman campaign. Cover and in-post images: New York State Capitol file photos via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 and CC BY-SA 4.0).
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