Mediaboss Marketing

Republican challenger Rob Astorino, badly trailing Gov. Cuomo in campaign cash, expects several millions of dollars in windfall Super PAC funding from across the nation as a result of last weeks federal court ruling in Manhattan, GOP insiders say.

Some of the funding is expected to come from wealthy oil- and gas-industry executives furious at Cuomos nearly 3/-year delay in making a decision on fracking for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region of the Southern Tier near Binghamton.

Other pro-Astorino contributions are expected from Second Amendment supporters and firearms-industry executives, who strongly opposed Cuomos anti-gun-ownership Safe Act, as well as from well-heeled social conservatives outraged over the governors claim that extreme conservatives have no place in New York.

There could be a lot of money coming into New York as a result of the ruling. There are a lot of folks across the country who have come to see Cuomo as a symbol of the Democrats hostility to the use of our nations oil and gas resources and who resent his positions on guns and traditional values, said a prominent Republican activist.

Last week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a potential presidential contender in 2016 whose energy-rich state contains many Super PAC backers, compared Cuomos refusal to permit fracking to President Obamas refusal to give the go-ahead to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

The court ruling, by Manhattan federal Judge Paul Crotty, threw out New Yorks $150,000 cap on how much money an individual can contribute to independent political-action committees that back candidates. Crotty cited recent US Supreme Court rulings holding that big-dollar political contributions are a form of First Amendment-protected free speech.

Independent PACs are permitted to back candidates or support issues outside any state or federal expenditure limit, but theyre not permitted to coordinate their activities with an individual candidates campaign.

Cuomos latest official campaign filing showed he had raised more than $33million, while Astorino, the Westchester County executive, had less than $1million on hand.

Texas Gov. Perry, whose challenge for a debate over state fiscal policies was rebuffed by Cuomo last week, says hes hopeful that such a debate will be held in the future.

This is an important conversation for the future competitiveness of our respective states and our nation, and Im hopeful Governor Cuomo and I will have the opportunity to discuss this soon, Perry who, like Cuomo, is eyeing a run for president in 2016 told The Post.

See the rest here:
Oil & gas industry ready to contribute millions to Astorino