Democrats say 'no thanks' to de Blasio PAC money

[DonViejo]

By LAURA NAHMIAS and GLORIA PAZMINO 08/13/2018 05:04 AM EDT

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to help his fellow Democrats take back the New York Senate. To close the gap, he’s launched a federal leadership political action committee, and he wants to raise money to spend in competitive races around the state.

There’s just one problem. Almost nobody wants his help.

A majority of the 15 Democratic state Senate candidates running in competitive districts who POLITICO surveyed said they wouldn’t accept the mayor’s aid even if offered. The would-be senators are distancing themselves from the unpopular mayor, who faces criticism from upstate for being a tax-and-spend liberal and complaints from some in New York City that he’s not liberal enough and has been too friendly with developers. It doesn’t help that the last time de Blasio got involved in helping candidates, it led to an investigation into his fundraising practices.

De Blasio's federal PAC is another stab at national political relevance from a mayor who's struggled over the past five years to be taken seriously by Democratic leaders. A nonprofit he created to advance a national political agenda and move Hillary Clinton to the left before the 2016 presidential race faltered and folded. His new effort to fundraise on a national scale is untested, but one thing has become increasingly clear: Many Democratic candidates in his own state don't want to be tied to him.

De Blasio said in an interview that he was motivated to launch his Fairness PAC by recent Democratic wins around the country.

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https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2018/08/09/de-blasio-is-raising-money-for-state-senate-candidates-but-does-anybody-really-want-his-help-548304