With assistance from Shawn Ness
BOO$T FOR BOWMAN: AIPAC’s attack ads appear to have had a positive impact on Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s fundraising efforts, according to Playbook. The progressive candidate raised over $1 million in May, which is three times more than what he raised in April. $770,000 of these contributions came in after the anti-Bowman TV ads aired, as reported by his campaign.
“The backlash to AIPAC’s attack ads began immediately, as our campaign set new records for grassroots fundraising and volunteer mobilization,” said Bowman campaign manager Gabe Tobias in a statement to Playbook. “Our beautiful, diverse community has Jamaal’s back because he’s always had theirs.”
Team Bowman highlighted this fundraising surge just as AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project, planned an additional $1.7 million in ads for the upcoming week. This brings the pro-Israel lobbying group’s total spending to around $10 million in the Westchester County and Bronx race.
Bowman is in a tough primary battle against Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a more moderate challenger with strong ties to local government and wealthy donors.
Bowman has been a major target for AIPAC this year due to his status as a Squad member and his criticism of U.S. support for the Israel-Hamas conflict, focusing on the destruction in Gaza.
When asked about Bowman’s fundraising increase, United Democracy Project spokesperson Patrick Dorton stated, “No amount of funds can hide Jamaal Bowman’s anti-Israel record, disagreements with President Biden and trafficking in conspiracy theories.”
A new anti-Bowman ad from the group features Elisha Wiesel, son of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, who criticizes Bowman for allegedly repeating Hamas lies about sexual violence.
Bowman’s campaign revealed that the majority of donations in May came from over 10,000 unique donors, with 83% of the contributions being $50 or less. However, they did not disclose the campaign’s expenditure in the past two months.
On the other hand, the Latimer campaign declined to release its fundraising numbers for April and May. Latimer has been outpacing Bowman in fundraising, with $3 million cash on hand as of the end of March compared to Bowman’s less than $1.5 million.
“He’s received over 90 percent of his money from outside the district,” Latimer told Playbook, referring to Bowman’s fundraising sources in the last two quarters.
“AIPAC has endorsed me, and I’ve also been endorsed by CSEA, TWU, all these other entities,” Latimer added. “They don’t own me and AIPAC does not own me.” — Emily Ngo
GAMING THE CASINO TIMELINE: Legislative gaming chairs are considering a proposal to expedite the bidding process for the three available downstate casino licenses in the final days of the Legislative session.
This move could pose challenges for bidders like Bally’s and Mets owner Steve Cohen, who require additional time for their proposals that involve state approval to use parkland.
“This bill is about a process, let’s start the process,” said Queens state Sen. Joseph Addabbo, who chairs the gaming commission. “Remember, all of these entities — and they’re all good, they’re all credible — they’ve had two years already trying to figure this stuff out. And we’re giving them another session year to do it.”
One potential change being discussed would impact the licensing timeline to mid-year 2025, potentially affecting projects by Cohen and Bally’s while favoring bids from Empire City and Resorts World NYC, which are already approved for gaming activities.
Discussions around this potential change are ongoing, with the goal of awarding downstate casino licenses by the end of 2025. This comes after the state’s Gaming Commission announced that the process was “ahead of schedule” in March.
“There are conversations with the governor’s office, the Assembly and Senate,” Pretlow told Playbook Sunday.
The talks to accelerate the timeline follow the introduction of a bill by Addabbo and Pretlow aimed at speeding up the casino licensing process, allowing bids to finalize zoning and land use post-license award. — Jason Beeferman
ICYMI: THE POL WITH 46 TRAFFIC TICKETS. Assemblymember Emily Gallagher has accused the New York Post of attempting to discredit her after the tabloid published a piece on her numerous parking penalties over a two-and-a-half year period.
In a X thread, Gallagher criticized The Post for its pursuit of a negative story ahead of publication, mentioning the presence of a tabloid photographer outside her home. Gallagher believes the goal is to intimidate progressive politicians like herself.
“The goal here is to make me and other progressive politicians hate our jobs, to feel bad and scared, to try and shut us up,” she wrote on X.
Y sinceramente, es inquietante tener a un fotógrafo acampado frente a tu casa! Pero la intimidación simplemente no funcionará en mí ni en mi comunidad. El artículo del tabloide se publicó durante el fin de semana y muestra que la relación de la defensora de calles seguras, Gallagher, con las normas de estacionamiento es un poco más colorida de lo que había admitido. Gallagher ha sido multada con más de $4,000 en los últimos dos años y medio en multas impagas, afirma la historia del Post. Eso incluye violaciones por estacionar frente a un hidrante contra incendios al menos seis veces. “No tengo violaciones de exceso de velocidad ni en zonas escolares. Solo algunas multas de estacionamiento que he pagado”, escribió el viernes. En una declaración a Playbook, Gallagher dijo: “Desde mi primera candidatura, el Post ha estado tratando desesperadamente de encontrar suciedad sobre mí. Su último triunfo investigativo: tengo multas de estacionamiento. En un vecindario con construcción constante, filmaciones y estacionamiento de lado alterno, no es difícil obtener un par de multas al mes, especialmente cuando me niego a abusar de mi tarjeta. Deberíamos implementar un sistema de permisos de estacionamiento residencial. Hasta entonces, ¡estoy feliz de contribuir a las arcas de la ciudad!” – Jason Beeferman