Super PAC Attacks Hochul Over COVID Contract in New Ad
The ad claims Governor Hochul's administration awarded a no-bid contract for COVID tests to a donor at an inflated price.
A Super PAC supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has launched a multi-million dollar advertising campaign accusing New York Governor Kathy Hochul of corruption related to a $637 million no-bid contract for COVID-19 tests.
The ad, funded by the Strong and Safe New York Super PAC, highlights that the emergency deal was awarded to Digital Gadgets shortly after its CEO, Charles Tebele, and his family members hosted a fundraiser for Hochul. Payments from Tebele's family to Hochul's campaign reportedly exceeded $300,000, while the contract with Digital Gadgets was for $637 million.
The advertisement alleges that the state paid more than double the price for the tests compared to other states that purchased directly from manufacturers. It features a mock check for $637 million made out to a "Hochul donor" for a "No bid Covid contract."
"Kathy Hochul’s corruption is the tax we all pay," a narrator states in the ad, which is running on streaming services, social media, and via text messages to over a million voters. "Hochul gets rich, her friends get richer. And we get the bill."
The Strong and Safe New York Super PAC, which counts Knicks owner James Dolan and casino magnate Steve Wynn among its backers, stated that the ad is intended to run until Election Day on November 3rd, with a weekly cost of $750,000.
Reports from the Times Union had previously surfaced detailing the purchase of 52 million COVID tests from Digital Gadgets in 2022 at a significantly higher cost than other entities paid. Hochul's office defended the contract at the time, stating that the governor was not personally involved in the procurement process and that the urgency to secure tests quickly to keep schools open during a COVID spike necessitated rapid contract awards.
"Governor Hochul did not oversee the procurement process and was not involved in the day-to-day procurement decisions," a spokesperson for Hochul's office said in September 2022. "She simply instructed her team to purchase as many available tests as possible to meet the tremendous need across the state, and they did exactly that to keep New Yorkers safe."
During her 2022 gubernatorial race, Hochul's Republican opponent, Lee Zeldin, also criticized the contract. The New York Post has reached out to Hochul's campaign for comment.