Pro-Charter Group Backed By StudentsFirst Drops $672,000+ In Late Campaign Ads For GOP

From State of Politics:

A pro-charter school independent expenditure committee is spending a combined $504,310 in TV and radio ads to oppose to Democratic Senate candidates running in key swing districts next month, according to Board of Elections records.

The group, New Yorkers For A Balanced Albany, is spending $272,000 in radio and TV ads opposing Justin Wagner, a Democrat in the Hudson Valley.

...

Further to the north, the group is spending and additional $232,310 to oppose Sen. Terry Gipson, a freshman Democrat running against Dutchess County Legislator Sue Serino.

The committee is backed by StudentsFirstNY, a group that is primarily funded by wealthy hedge funds and supporters of charter schools such as Paul Tudor Jones II and Daniel Loeb.

On Long Island, the group on Thursday posted a $168,341 cable and TV media buy to oppose the candidacy of Democratic Senate hopeful Adrienne Esposito, who faces Republican Tom Croci in Suffolk County.

Charter entrepreneurs and backers are pushing hard for a GOP/IDC State Senate.

That way, they don't have to worry about anything changing when it comes to charter policy.

They probably wouldn't have to worry if Dems took over either - they've got a lot of them in their pockets too - but nonetheless they're working as hard as they can in some of these districts to ensure the Republican candidate wins.

Meanwhile Cuomo - who promised he would work for a Democratic takeover of the Senate as a tradeoff for the Working Families Party ballot nod - hasn't lifted a finger toward that cause.