Candidates in the 129th New York State Assembly district race, a district that encompasses parts of the City of Syracuse, are looking to small donors for a boost in campaign funds through public matching funds.
Maurice Brown, who is challenging incumbent Assembly member William Magnarelli in the Democratic primary election in June, announced Wednesday he expects to raise almost 10 times the amount of money currently available to his campaign through the state’s Public Campaign Finance Program.
The program uses public money to match contributions made by individual donors in the districts of candidates running for state office and went live during the 2024 election cycle. Contributions matched under the state’s formula range between $5 and $250, meaning the program rewards candidates with large numbers of recurring small dollar contributions.
Brown, a sitting Onondaga County legislator, unveiled his challenge for Magnarelli’s seat in February. Central Current first reported in December that Brown was mulling a run for State Assembly. Shortly after that, Brown’s campaign committee was certified for the public campaign funds program in late December.
Both candidates said on Tuesday grassroots support is deeply important to their campaigns. For Brown, the state’s program could be a lifeline to help keep pace with Magnarelli, who according to the latest financial disclosure has more than $200,000 more than Brown. This is the first time the program has been used in a primary for a state office in Onondaga County since it started in 2024.
If Brown can get on the ballot for the June primary under the Democratic Party line, he said the program will boost his overall fundraising since announcing his campaign to approximately $95,000. Brown’s estimate stems from the program amplifying the small dollar contributions from about 140 qualifying individual donors, he said. An independent analysis of Brown’s most recent filing found he had 126 individual donors.
To get on the ballot, Brown will have to deliver 500 signed petitions to the county board of elections by April 6.
The first round of payments from the program will arrive on April 15, according to program guidelines. The latest filing shows Brown had $8,962.73 in hand by March 16. He said Tuesday he has spent around $8,000 on his campaign so far.
Magnarelli, who has been representing the district for the past 28 years, also registered his campaign committee with the State Board of Elections to participate in the program. His committee was certified under the program by the State Board of Elections on Feb. 17.
However, campaign finance records show Magnarelli’s campaign has so far not received unique donations from 75 in-district constituents, one of the requirements to receive matching funds from the state. The latest filing shows Magnarelli’s campaign has received small dollar donations from 55 residents of his district.
Magnarelli said Tuesday his campaign is working on courting voters and finding new donors, and that he anticipates being eligible for matching funds from the state’s program in the next round of payments in early May.
The longtime Assembly member’s most recent financial filings from March show he had $216,045.52.
The program could not only boost funds significantly for Brown, he said, but it has also pushed him to get in touch with the district’s residents.
“The public finance program forces you to talk to the people in your community, not just the ones with money,” Brown told Central Current. “I think it’s a good example that shows that the people who live here are investing in this campaign. They care so much that they’re willing to throw some money down.”
Magnarelli said he wanted to sign up for the program to receive more funds, but to also show that his campaign was able to reach voters and garner donations from a significant number of his constituents.
“I’m very confident that’s going to be relatively easy for us to do,” he said. “And over the next month or two, you’ll see that. As a matter of fact, in the next filing, if we didn’t make it [this time], we’re going to be right on it.”
Brown’s participation in the program, and his thus-far larger number of local small dollar donors are not a sign that the progressive county legislator is making “strides or headway” in Magnarelli’s district, Magnarelli said.
“My contact with my constituents is on a daily basis. I know exactly what my constituents are going through at the present time,” he said. “I’m looking forward to talking to them and meeting with them over the next few months, as I always have.”
Primary election day is June 23. Early voting will take place from June 13-21. Election day is Nov. 3.
How the program works
The state’s Public Campaign Finance Program provides matching funds based on individual donations for campaigns for state offices, including governorship and lieutenant governorship, state comptroller, state attorney general, state assembly and state senate.
This is the first time since the program started in 2024 that candidates for state office in Central New York use the program to boost their campaign contributions.
In the case of the Assembly, the State Board of Election officials will pay out matching claims for donations between $5-$250 made by district residents.
The state will match contributions by different ratios depending on the elected office and donation amount. For instance, a donation of $5 will be matched by the state 12 times over, meaning that the contribution will go from $5 to $60. In that particular example, the campaign would receive $65 total from that matching claim ($60+the original $5= $65).
Individual contributions of $250 to $1,050 will garner $250 in matching funds. Any contributions beyond $1,050 will not be eligible for matching claims, as that exceeds the threshold for an individual donation. Matching funds for a state assembly primary overall are capped at $175,000.
Below is a table of the matching ratios according to State Board of Elections guidelines:
Aggregate Contribution Amount for Legislative CandidatesMatch Ratio$5-$5012:1$51-$1509:1$151-$2508:1
For campaign committees in state assembly races to qualify, they must report 75 donations from different in-district residents and a total of at least $4,000 raised.
Reporter Debadrita Sur contributed to this report.