Bloomberg’s New Cause is Helping Hochul Getting the State Budget Passed; Lays Out $5M for TV Airtime

Edited by: TJVNews.com

As New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature continue to be at logger heads about issues pertaining to the state budget that the governor will put forth in the near future, the New York Times reported that television ads promoting and endorsing Hochul’s plans for the budget are running on various telecasts. The NYT reported that the ads are reminiscent of a slick campaign-style promotion and that they inform New York voters that Hochul’s budget is in their interest and will benefit every New Yorker.

At the conclusion of the television ad a tiny message tells viewers that the ads were sponsored by a group called “American Opportunity.”  The NYT took great pains to research who precisely is bankrolling the multimillion dollar campaign to shape the state’s gargantuan budget . Behind the shell groups is none other than the former billionaire mayor of New York City and failed Democratic candidate for President, Michael R. Bloomberg, the report said.

Although Bloomberg is a significant donor to Democratic candidates across the country, until now, he had not been in the forefront of supporting Hochul and her agenda and he did not contribute to her 2022 gubernatorial campaign and he did not insinuate himself in policy disputes in the state, according to the NYT report.

Bloomberg has now dug deep into his pockets and has given $5 million towards this television commercial blitz publicizing Hochul’s budget and this amount is only considered seed money which portends that there may be more from where that came from. Moreover, the campaign goes beyond television ads and also is seen on social media influence campaigns and on rounds of mailers targeting individual lawmakers as they grapple with Hochul over the shape of the budget, according to two people briefed on his giving, the NYT reported.

The report indicated that Bloomberg has not publicized his donation to the ad blitz or his association with Hochul. The NYT reported that Bloomberg is not the only deep pocketed donor that the Hochul camp has solicited for assistance in getting this budget passed and embraced by all New Yorkers. In order to rein in the more politically progressive forces in the Democratic party who are leaning on the governor to acquiesce to their demands, the NYT reported that a Hochul fundraising consultant is making pitches for money from wealthy political donors and even smaller contributions for the campaign that calls itself American Opportunity.

The April 1^st budget deadline is fast approaching and the group has booked $3 million for the television airtime, the NYT report said.

As to why Bloomberg has immersed himself in Hochul’s budget campaign, the NYT reported that both politicians have a centrist political perspective, and both are close allies of business interests in New York City. Both are pushing against the tide of the radical, progressive left wing that appears to have sway in the state legislature.

The NYT reported that Hochul would not increase income taxes on the wealthy. She proposes eliminating the cap on New York City charter schools she is pushing to give judges more latitude when setting bail. Bloomberg is totally onboard