New York Democrats criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman's campaign vendors Friday after a report detailed payments to an advertising agency that worked for Germany's far-right AfD party and a fundraising firm founded by Jack Daly, who pleaded guilty in a federal fraud case.
The party highlighted a Daily Mail report that cited New York State Board of Elections filings showing more than $4.2 million paid to Harris Media for online advertising. The report also identified more than $11,600 paid to Better Mousetrap Digital in nearly 800 fundraising payments between April and October 2026.
Party criticizes the campaign's choice of vendors
Democratic Party spokesperson Addison Dick argued that the payments fit a pattern of Blakeman aligning himself with far-right political figures.
Harris Media worked on AfD's digital campaign during Germany's 2017 federal election. DW reported at the time that the Texas agency was helping the party distribute campaign materials and place online advertising.
The Daily Mail reported that Better Mousetrap Digital was founded by Daly in 2023. It said a spokesperson at Blakeman's campaign headquarters declined to comment, saying they did not have “anything to say.” The newspaper also sought comment from Harris Media, Better Mousetrap and Daly's attorney.
Federal records detail Daly's separate fraud case
Daly pleaded guilty in June 2023 to conspiring to commit mail fraud and lie to the Federal Election Commission, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Wisconsin.
Prosecutors said Daly and another lawyer raised more than $1.6 million through a political action committee that claimed to be persuading former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke to run for the U.S. Senate. Most of the money went toward more fundraising that benefited the organizers, rather than a genuine effort to recruit Clarke, prosecutors said.
The solicitations continued after the organizers learned Clarke had publicly ruled out running and called the committee a scam, according to the federal account.
A subsequent federal court order records that Daly was sentenced Dec. 15, 2023, to four months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.
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