| There has been a lot of discussion in the past and present about Responsible New York and what Responsible New York represents. The main points usually center around Responsible New York's founder, billionaire Tom Golisano. Some say he started this group just to influence elections. Others point to his adviser, Steve Pigeon, and the decision to back certain candidates that are known (or were known) as Pigeon-backed candidates (i.e. Joe Mesi and Barbra Kavanaugh).
I will say that I have my own questions about the intentions of this group. Did Golisano start this just to get in on the action during a key state election? Or does he have his own personal agenda that he wants to push on other candidates? Or is it something else?
If you count RNY's endorsement of Paloma Capanna, RNY has endorsed 26 Democrats and 22 Republicans. Of those 48 candidates that RNY has endorsed, 39 of them are incumbent senators. A common theme that is mentioned about RNY is their desire for reform. However, it is hard to argue for reform when you only back nine challengers and endorse 63 percent of the current New York State Senate. Nothing against some of the current senators who are pushing for change, but when you are a group that is calling for change, you might want to endorse more challengers than incumbents.
It should be noted that RNY endorsed seven Democratic challengers: Brian Foley (SD-3), B.K. Keramati (who lost the Democratic primary in SD-44), Paloma Capanna (SD-54), David Nachbar (SD-55), Rick Dollinger (SD-56), Kathy Konst (SD-59) and Joe Mesi (SD-61). Foley and Dollinger are in perhaps the most competitive seats in the state, while candidates like Mesi and Nachbar are in competitive seats in districts that lean Republican. If anything, Golisano has decided to back key upstate challengers in districts that could mean a larger majority for the Democrats in the New York State Senate come January.
There have been questions about what Golisano is doing with this group. It's hard to argue against his desire to influence an election by supporting candidates of his choice with his large pocketbook. But as RNY's campaign finance filings show, RNY has not given directly to any candidate. Expenditures show that RNY, aside from paying for consulting and staff expenses, has paid for TV and radio ads as well as spending money to send out mailers. These ads and mailers have helped candidates, but it's not as if RNY has directly invested with a contribution in these campaigns. And according to Golisano's own contributions, he has only given to one state level candidate: Kavanaugh, who lost the primary to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt. Other than that, no contribution has been given from RNY or Tom Golisano directly to any of the candidates that have been backed by RNY.
The point here is that if Golisano is trying to buy influence, he's not showing it. You could make the argument that he's still supporting campaigns with ads and mailers and that, in itself, is influence. Maybe so, but it's not as if he has cut massive checks for each of these candidates. All he is doing right now is taking care of a necessary expense for them. Campaigns, especially in a big media town like Rochester, need to spend money on radio and TV ads and send out direct mail. If Golisano isn't doing it, the campaign does it. But you don't see him writing $9,500 checks to these candidates and leaving it at that, which would probably make a better argument for Golisano wanting influence over these candidates than the current situation would
So what is Golisano doing? I have read speculation about another run for governor, only this time as a Republican. That's an interesting thought, although if that were the case I don't think he would be investing in Democratic challengers and Democratic incumbents. But I believe that it isn't about Golisano wanting influence. He already has that. As a billionaire he has given to many charities, including hospitals in the Rochester area, and has been a prominent figure in Western New York for years.
What I think is that this is about Golisano showing that he has the influence. As I stated above, he already has the influence. So why not show it by saying I am investing $5 million into state races this year. He already has the influence. This is a guy who many people in Buffalo consider the savior of the Buffalo Sabres. This is a guy who is well known in Rochester for his charitable giving and his big heart. He has a reputation statewide from three gubernatorial campaigns. People don't need to know who Tom Golisano is. They already know who he is.
This is about Golisano reinforcing that. This is about Tom Golisano showing that he has the money and that he can be a great asset to candidates who support his desire for reform. Maybe Golisano wants to become the face of reform in New York? It's possible.
Lastly, consider this: On the RNY questionnaire for candidates, it asks whether or not you support election and campaign finance reform. When you go deeper into the questionnaire (it has seven pages), there is a question about whether or not you support publicly financed elections. To me, this indicates that Golisano wants to see real campaign finance reform in New York (possibly PFEs) and is willing to spend his money to make sure that he has candidates that will support his whole agenda.
I don't think this is all about influence. I believe that Golisano is genuine about his desire for reform. If that means he supports publicly financed elections but is willing to spend some of his wealth to support candidates who also side with him on that issue, so be it. Right now, the New York political system is what it is. Right now, Golisano can reign supreme because he has one thing that others don't.
A lot of money. |
