Michael Blake, former Bronx Assembly Member and current Democratic mayoral candidate, was approved June 20 for over $2 million in matching funds from the city, with only four days before the primary election.
The Campaign Finance Board announced June 20 that Blake received $2,096,907 in the city’s program that matches small donations at an 8-to-1 level, with the aim of giving a wider slate of candidates more substantial funds to compete.
In a statement, Blake said he would use the last-minute matching funds “to mobilize key constituency groups, and drive turnout in communities too often overlooked.”
“This campaign is fueled by working-class New Yorkers—not wealthy donors or political insiders,” said Blake. “This milestone sends a clear message: New Yorkers are ready to say that TOMORROW BEGINS TODAY and turn the page on corruption and demand leadership that puts people before power.”
In his campaign, Blake is calling for a middle-class housing tax break, an end to using credit scores on housing applications, putting mental health professionals on subways and streets and speeding up city payments to nonprofits, among other issues.
Though Blake is polling at 2%, well behind the frontrunners, former governor Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, he gained recognition for his strong showing in the first televised debate on June 4.
During the debate, he blasted Cuomo for allegations of sexual harassment during his tenure as governor. Though criminal charges against him were dismissed, Cuomo resigned in August 2021 following the scandal.
In a segment on public safety during the debate, Blake said, “The people who don’t feel safe are young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo. That’s the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.”
The matching funds appear to come at a good time, since Blake’s campaign has spent more than it has raised and is nearly $50,000 in the hole.
“Reaching the matching funds threshold isn’t just a citywide financial achievement—it’s a declaration that New York City wants change,” said Blake.
“New Yorkers have a choice: stay with a broken system, or choose a new generation of leadership that believes values matter and courage counts. If you want to change the game, you have to change your mayor.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
