Money in Politics
Where candidates get their funding — and what those funders typically stand for
Campaign finance data is sourced from the FEC and NY Board of Elections public filings. Data reflects the most recent available filing period. Always verify at the original source.
Data last updated: March 2026
$131.7M
Total raised across all candidates
42
Candidates tracked
36
Receiving PAC funding
0
With dark money backing
Showing 42 of 42 candidates
Chuck Schumer
U.S. Senate
Broadly funded across finance, technology, law, and real estate — reflecting Schumer's role as Senate party leader and his decades-long relationships with major industries. Data reflects 2021–2022 cycle; Schumer's next election is 2028.
Data as of December 2022
View candidate profile →Kathy Hochul
Governor
Primarily funded by real estate developers, finance and banking interests, and the healthcare industry, with relatively few small-dollar contributions.
Data as of January 2026
View candidate profile →Kirsten Gillibrand
U.S. Senate
Funded by a mix of law firms, finance, and individual donors, with a notable grassroots small-donor component. Data reflects 2019–2020 cycle; Gillibrand's next election is 2030.
Data as of December 2020
View candidate profile →Hakeem Jeffries
U.S. House – NY-08
One of the largest fundraisers in the House, reflecting his role as House Minority Leader. Funded broadly across finance, labor, and technology, with significant corporate PAC support.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Letitia James
Attorney General
Primarily funded by law firms and labor unions, reflecting her background as a prosecutor and her strong ties to organized labor.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
U.S. House – NY-14
Among the most grassroots-funded members of Congress, with nearly 70% of contributions from small donors under $200. AOC voluntarily declines contributions from corporate PACs and lobbyists.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Thomas DiNapoli
State Comptroller
Heavily reliant on labor union support, reflecting DiNapoli's longstanding relationship with organized labor and his role overseeing New York's pension funds.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Zohran Mamdani
Mayor of New York City
Heavily reliant on small individual donors, with no PAC contributions, reflecting his democratic socialist platform and participation in NYC's small-donor public matching program.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Tom Suozzi
U.S. House – NY-03
Supported by a mix of finance, real estate, and labor interests reflecting his moderate Democratic positioning. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/03/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →George Latimer
U.S. House – NY-16
Funded by real estate, finance, and law firms, with significant outside support from pro-Israel aligned groups during his 2024 primary — notably the United Democracy Project, which spent approximately $14.5 million independently on his behalf against incumbent Jamaal Bowman.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Ritchie Torres
U.S. House – NY-15
Supported by a mix of pro-Israel aligned PACs, labor unions, real estate, and individual donors, reflecting his moderate Democratic positioning and national profile.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Dan Goldman
U.S. House – NY-10
Funded primarily by finance and legal industry donors, reflecting his background as a federal prosecutor and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune. He self-funded a significant portion of his 2022 primary campaign.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Bruce Blakeman
Governor
Primarily funded by real estate and finance interests from the Nassau County area, with some small-dollar contributions from individual supporters.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Gregory Meeks
U.S. House – NY-05
Heavily supported by finance, real estate, and corporate PAC money — consistent with his long tenure and senior committee assignments. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H0NY05095/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Pat Ryan
U.S. House – NY-17
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/17/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Nicole Malliotakis
U.S. House – NY-11
Supported by Republican-aligned corporate PACs and real estate interests, consistent with her conservative positioning and Staten Island base. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/11/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Andrea Stewart-Cousins
NY State Senate – District 35
Funded broadly across labor unions and individual donors, reflecting her role as Senate Majority Leader. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Josh Riley
U.S. House – NY-18
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/18/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Nick LaLota
U.S. House – NY-01
Funded by a mix of real estate, finance, and PAC contributions, reflecting his Long Island district's business community. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/01/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Grace Meng
U.S. House – NY-06
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/06/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Laura Gillen
U.S. House – NY-04
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/04/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Carl Heastie
NY State Assembly – District 83
Funded broadly across labor unions, real estate, and finance, reflecting his role as Assembly Speaker. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Adriano Espaillat
U.S. House – NY-13
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/13/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Paul Tonko
U.S. House – NY-20
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/20/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Yvette Clarke
U.S. House – NY-09
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/09/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Andrew Cuomo
U.S. House – NY-12 (Primary)
Primarily funded by large individual donations from real estate and finance circles, drawing on donor networks from his tenure as Governor. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/12/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Joe Morelle
U.S. House – NY-25
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/25/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Justin Brannan
U.S. House – NY-11
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/11/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Tim Kennedy
U.S. House – NY-26
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/26/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Nydia Velázquez
U.S. House – NY-07
Funded by a mix of labor unions and small individual donors, reflecting her decades-long ties to the progressive base in Brooklyn and Queens. Detailed breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H0NY12008/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Liz Krueger
NY State Senate – District 28
Funded by a mix of finance, real estate, and individual donors from her Upper East Side and Midtown East district, one of the wealthiest legislative districts in the state. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →John Mannion
U.S. House – NY-22
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/22/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Jamaal Bailey
NY State Senate – District 36
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Jumaane Williams
NYC Public Advocate
Primarily funded by small individual donors and labor unions, consistent with his progressive policy positions. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →George Conway
U.S. House – NY-12 (Primary)
A new candidate with early-stage fundraising primarily from individual donors; no PAC contributions on file for this cycle. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/NY/12/2026/.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Erik Bottcher
NY State Senate – District 47
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Deborah Glick
NY State Assembly – District 66
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Keith Powers
NY State Assembly – District 74
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Jeremy Zellner
NY State Senate – District 61
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Adem Bunkeddeko
State Comptroller (Primary Challenger)
Primarily funded by small individual donors, consistent with a grassroots primary challenge campaign. Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Larry Sharpe
Governor
Almost entirely funded by small individual donors, consistent with Libertarian Party campaigns that typically rely on grassroots support rather than industry or PAC money.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Diana Moreno
NY State Assembly – District 36
Detailed industry breakdown not yet available. View filings directly at https://www.elections.ny.gov/CampaignFinance.html.
Data as of March 2026
View candidate profile →Understanding Campaign Finance
What is a PAC?
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is an organization that raises and spends money to influence elections. Traditional PACs can contribute directly to candidates but are subject to strict contribution limits — currently $5,000 per candidate per election under federal law. Super PACs, created after the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, can raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions, and individuals, but cannot donate directly to or coordinate with candidates; instead they spend independently on advertising and outreach. The key difference: a traditional PAC's influence is limited by caps on direct giving, while a Super PAC's influence is theoretically unlimited as long as it operates independently.
What is dark money?
Dark money refers to political spending by nonprofit organizations — typically 501(c)(4) "social welfare" groups — that are not required by law to disclose the identities of their donors. These organizations can spend on elections as long as political activity is not their "primary purpose," a loosely defined standard. Because donors remain hidden, voters cannot know which individuals or corporations are ultimately funding political messages. Dark money is used by organizations across the political spectrum; it is a structural feature of current campaign finance law, not a practice unique to any party or ideology. Where dark money support is documented on this page, it means a 501(c)(4) organization has made independent expenditures on a candidate's behalf without disclosing its funding sources.
New York's Public Financing Program
New York State enacted a small-donor public matching program that took effect for the 2024 election cycle. Participating candidates receive public matching funds for small donations — contributions of $250 or less from New York State residents are matched at a ratio of up to 6-to-1, meaning a $100 donation can generate an additional $600 in public funds. In exchange, candidates must accept lower contribution limits than the standard state limits. The program is designed to amplify the voices of small donors and reduce dependence on large contributions from wealthy individuals and organizations. Participation is voluntary, and candidates in statewide races (Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller) and state legislative races are eligible. Federal candidates are not eligible for this state program.
How to read campaign finance data
Campaign finance data shows where candidates get their money — but correlation between funding sources and policy positions does not imply causation or corruption. A candidate who receives real estate donations may or may not support real estate-friendly policies; many other factors drive legislative decisions. What finance data can reveal: who has invested in a candidate's political future, whether a candidate relies broadly on small donors or narrowly on large ones, and whether outside groups with undisclosed funding are independently active in a race. When reviewing this data, look at the overall funding picture, not just individual donors. Always verify figures at the original source — FEC.gov for federal candidates, the NY Board of Elections for state candidates — as this guide reflects a snapshot in time and filings are updated continuously.