A cheat sheet to super PACs in the 2026 New York primaries

If you’re a registered Democrat in the right districts, your mailbox – and text messages and voicemails – are getting bombarded with campaign ads. Your TV time likely isn’t safe either, with plenty of political ads hitting the airwaves – including during the historic Knicks finals run.

Sometimes, they’re paid for by a candidate’s campaign itself, clearly labeled with their name. But other times, voters looking to get a little more info about the political spending invading their personal time may be hit with a variety or group names with a combination of meaningless platitudes. City & State’s been closely tracking outside spending in our twice-weekly Heard Around Town newsletter, but it’s time to share even more. That’s where we come in.

The surging of the Democratic Socialists of America following New York City Mayor Zohran Mamandi’s victory last year and a wave of exits from the state Legislature means that there are dozens of legislative races up in the air this year. And outside interests are looking to tip the scale through independent expenditure committees, more colloquially known as super PACs. The basic rule: super PACs have no contribution limits, as long as they don’t coordinate directly with the campaign committees they’re supporting.

A lot of them are getting involved in races this year, raising and spending big bucks. Here’s what you need to know. This story has been updated as of June 15, and more will be added ahead of the June 23 primary election.



https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/06/cheat-sheet-super-pacs-2026-new-york-primaries/414191/?oref=csny-homepage-river