By: Meyer Wolfsheim

As the New York Post reported, a longshot Brooklyn Democrat with a history of electoral losses is now seeking to become New York’s chief fiscal watchdog — but his latest campaign got off to a rocky start after he failed to submit a required campaign finance filing on time.

Adem Bunkeddeko, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit executive who has repeatedly come up short in past races, is now running for state comptroller. But according to the Post, Bunkeddeko submitted his most recent campaign finance disclosure five days after the Jan. 15 deadline, raising eyebrows for a candidate hoping to oversee New York’s finances.

When asked about the late filing, Bunkeddeko told the New York Post he believed the delay stemmed from technical issues at the state Board of Elections, which he claimed was overwhelmed when Attorney General Letitia James uploaded her massive disclosure report.

“From my understanding, I think they had a tough time trying to handle all of the uploads because Letitia James had like 100,000,” Bunkeddeko said, according to the Post. “I don’t think we were unique in our situation.”

State officials quickly disputed that explanation. As the New York Post reported, a spokesperson for the Board of Elections flatly denied that the campaign finance system experienced any outages that would have prevented timely filings.

“The campaign finance portal was never down, and no filer was prevented from filing while the disclosure report from James for NY 2026 was being uploaded,” BOE representative Kathleen McGrath told the Post.

Good-government advocates also weighed in, noting that while the lapse may not be catastrophic, it is an awkward misstep for someone campaigning to become the state’s top financial overseer. Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Group, told the Post that compliance with campaign finance laws is especially critical for a comptroller candidate.

“Five days late is not in the ‘mortal sin’ category,” Horner said, according to the Post. “But every candidate should make sure that they’re following the rules to the letter, not just the spirit.”

“And certainly if you want to be the guy with the green eye shades, it’s even more important,” Horner added, referencing the comptroller’s responsibility for auditing and oversight, as reported by the New York Post.

Bunkeddeko is no stranger to uphill political battles. As the Post reported, he unsuccessfully challenged longtime Rep. Yvette Clarke in Democratic primaries in both 2018 and 2020. Now, he faces an even steeper climb against incumbent Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who has held the post since 2007 and enjoys deep institutional support.

Campaign finance figures underscore that imbalance. According to filings cited by the New York Post, Bunkeddeko raised roughly $120,000 as of Jan. 20 — a modest sum compared to DiNapoli and even other Democratic primary challengers. DiNapoli, the Post noted, currently has about $1.4 million cash on hand heading into his 2026 reelection bid.