With one week until elections, students at the University will have the opportunity to cast their vote for two state legislative elections: New York State Senate District 56, and New York State Assembly District 137.
With available public records on how candidates are funding their campaigns, analysis of their contributions and expenses allows for further insight as to the viability of their campaigns. Despite New York’s latest campaign legislation aiming to level the playing field, races with disproportionate funding towards one candidate have historically correlated with that individual’s victory.
According to United States campaign finance law, small-dollar donations represent contributions to political campaigns up to $200. Analyzing the proportion of small donors a candidate has serves as a marker of the financial representation they have among families and households, as opposed to wealthy mega-donors and private interests. The state’s new public campaign finance program makes statewide candidates eligible for public matching funds based on the small-dollar donations they receive.
With campaigns in their last stretch, the prospect of additional funding may be the final push these candidates need to secure their election.
New York State Senate District 56
First-time Senator Jeremy Cooney (D) is seeking re-election against former Gates police chief Jim VanBrederode (R) in New York State Senate District 56. Both candidates have faced each other in the 2022 general election, with Cooney winning 54.2% of the vote — and despite the electoral rematch, one candidate wins in terms of finances. In 2024, Senator Cooney’s campaign reported nearly $775,000 in funding, over 16 times that of VanBrederode at just over $47,000.
The senator’s leading donors include a variety of labor union political action committees, including those of the International Union of Operating Engineers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. While VanBrederode’s donations pale in comparison, what should be noted are the vast majority of individual small donors attributed to his financial records — and qualified for public matching funds.
New York State Assembly District 137
The disparity in funding grows even larger in the race for State Assembly District 137 between incumbent Demond Meeks (D) and two-time challenger Marcus C. Williams (R). Despite the overall race being smaller in funding than that of the Senate, Assemblymember Meeks has raised nearly $127,000 in 2024, trumping his opponent at just over $3,000. While Meeks has disclosed donations throughout the calendar year, Williams reported none for the first three months.
Like VanBrederode, most of Williams’ donations come from individual small donors. With Assembly Member Meeks’ leading contributors including healthcare and teacher unions like 1199SEIU and the New York State United Teachers, however, there is much ground to cover in funding.
Small-dollar donations
Donations up to $250 to state legislative offices like the Senate and Assembly are matched at a progressive rate: $12-to-$1 for the first $50 donated, $9-to-$1 for the next $100, and $8-to-$1 for the next $100. For instance, a donation of $250 would receive public funds of $2,300: $600 for the first $50, plus $900 for the next $100 and $800 for the remaining $100.
To be eligible for publicly matched funds, contributions to registered campaigns must range between $5 and $250, and come from individuals within their candidate’s legislative district.
The considerable boost in funding shifts the scales for candidates who face established incumbents like Cooney and Meeks. While larger campaigns like Cooney may not make waves with publicly matched funds, smaller candidates like VanBrederode absolutely do, with nearly $378,000 to add to his war chest.
With one week to go until elections, however, this may be what moves the needle for these races — and allows these candidates to prove a formidable challenge.
