Wealthy New Yorkers Withhold GOP Donations With Primaries Under 1 Month Away

1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4

Less than a month before New York’s primaries, many wealthy donors are still sitting out Republican efforts, leaving Bruce Blakeman short of the big-money backing he needs against Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Polls and fundraising are driving that reluctance: Blakeman trails Hochul, and donors see no clear path to victory even after a court ruling reopened his access to public matching funds.
The money vacuum comes as democratic socialists expand their reach, with Zohran Mamdani backing primary challengers and DSA-aligned candidates threatening to push Albany further left on taxes and spending.
Hochul has used that backdrop to strengthen ties with business elites, presenting herself as a check on more aggressive tax hikes while starting the year with $20 million in cash on hand.
Some business and real-estate groups are still funding moderate Democrats, but the broader trend worrying Republicans is that parts of New York’s mega-rich are shifting money and attention to states like Florida and Texas.