ALBANNY — The family whose hefty campaign donation to Gov. Kathy Hochol sparked controversy donated nearly $235,000 more to the state Democratic Party on Tuesday, records show.
Charlie Tebere and his wife, Nancy, have each been closely aligned with Hochul’s campaign and donated $117,300 to the state Democratic Party, which has spent millions to support her.
Charlie Tebere is the founder and CEO of Digital Gadgets LLC, a New Jersey-based distribution company, and Hochul’s administration spent last winter funding 637 million for 52 million at-home COVID-19 rapid tests. paid a dollar. The campaign of Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor, has sharply criticized the deal, which he characterized as a “pay-to-play” scheme. He also highlighted the no-bid purchase in a television ad and held a press conference calling for an investigation.
The Tibere family has now donated $532,000 to Hochul’s campaign or the closely aligned state Democratic Party, and another $40,000 to Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado’s campaign.
A spokesperson for Digital Gadgets said in a statement, “Despite billionaire super PACs funding electoral deniers and politicians who threaten democracy, the Tiberes are moderates.” “I will continue to support the candidate,” he said. A spokesman for Tiber referred to Zeldin, who voted against proving the results of the 2020 presidential election, and the Independent Spending Commission, which spent more than $10 million to support him this year.
Charlie Tebele also ran two fundraising campaigns for Hochul. Another one he had in April, about two weeks after the $637 million payment was completed.
In addition, the family of real estate developer Jack Cayre, who is registered as the “Principal Officer” of affiliate Digital Gadgets Medical, donated $418,000 to Hochul. A spokesman for Tebele said Cayre did not benefit from the $637 million state payment.
Charlie Tebere’s son, James Tebere, has been in a position working for Hochul’s campaign fundraiser for the past year.
The latest cash inflow comes as Hochul faces a tighter than expected battle with Zeldin. Hochul has raised an unheard-of amount in her campaign since August 2021, but recently reported that she has about $6 million in cash left over. This is similar to the rest of Zeldin’s vault. Additionally, an outside group backed by conservative donors has attacked Hochul and flooded the airwaves with ads supporting Zeldin.
The maximum amount an individual can contribute to Hochul is $69,700, and both Charlie and Nancy Tebele hit that threshold on May 18th. A series of other members of her Tebele family then donated large amounts to Hochul. The two list the same Manhattan home address as Charlie and Nancy. By late June, the extended family had donated her $297,400.
Under state election laws, families can indirectly contribute even more, which can be used to fund Ho Chul’s efforts. , receives donations of up to $117,300 from individuals and can spend an unlimited amount to support endorsed candidates. State Democrats spent more than $2.3 million of his money to support Ho-chol’s campaign, according to election documents filed Friday.
Additionally, party committees, including state Democrats, maintain campaign “housekeeping” accounts that allow them to receive unlimited sums from donors and won’t have to disclose those donors until January. Household expenses are supposed to be used for party management, not for election campaigns.
Even after a series of reforms were implemented in preparation for the next statewide election in 2026, including lowering candidate contribution limits and publicly funded elections, party committees retained these enormous powers. To do.
A series of Times Union articles found that a $637 million rapid test contract was quickly closed without competitive bidding, and that Digital Gadgets charged a much higher price per test than vendors in other states. is emphasized. California is 45% cheaper than the same brand test that New York purchased directly from the manufacturer rather than through a third-party distributor, Digital Gadgets.
Hochul claims he did not personally approve the deal, but has instructed staff to purchase as many tests as possible so the children can return to school in January without interruption. did.
“Yes, the prices were higher than in California, but they didn’t buy until three weeks later, right?” Hochul told the Times Union in October. “Their kids weren’t back in school[in early January]in Los Angeles. Our kids are back in school.”
Ho-chul has repeatedly said that campaign donations will not affect the actions of her administration.The State Democratic Party declined to comment on Thursday.
