FanDuel super PAC enters UWS Assembly duel

Upper West Side Assembly candidate Eli Northrup has blasted his opponent Stephanie Ruskay for getting support from Westside Progress, the super PAC partly funded by one of the city’s “worst landlords,” Wendy Eisenberg of A&E Real Estate.

Now the super PAC New York Future, funded by online gambling giants DraftKings and FanDuel, is echoing Northrup and attacking Ruskay for taking money from real estate developers. And Northrup’s scrambling to denounce the negative digital ad. 

“I condemn it. I don’t want it. I didn’t ask for it. I don’t think there should be (independent expenditure) spending opposing me or supporting me,” Northrup told City & State Tuesday. 

This open seat race to replace Assembly Member Micah Lasher is now the first legislative race to attract dueling outside spenders – and a lot more spending is expected before the June 23 Democratic primary. 

At a candidate forum last week hosted by Goddard Riverside, Ruskay accepted the super PAC canvassing on her behalf. She said she wanted Citizen United to be overturned, but in the meantime she won’t let independent expenditures influence her.

“It has been very important to me to make sure I am constantly telling people who I am,” Ruskay said. “And don’t invest in me if you don’t want me to be who I am.”

Westside Progress – led by Manhattan lawyer and city Board of Elections commissioner Marc Landis – has turned its attention to Ruskay after boosting Carl Wilson in last month’s City Council special election. Landis said the Uptown race is the only one it’s planning to spend on, and the PAC doesn’t want to go negative. Westside Progress has so far been largely funded by another PAC, Next NYC – which is funded by wealthy businesspeople from various industries, including Eisenberg, Peter Lowy of Westfield and investor Amanda Eilian. 

New York Future, meanwhile, has reported spending in legislative primaries across the state. The online gaming super PAC has sent mailers for pro-gambling state Sens. Toby Ann Stavisky and Joe Addabbo. It’s also running online ads boosting Assembly Members Erik Dilan, Jeff Dinowitz and Clyde Vanel and Assembly candidates Karen Hoak, who’s running to succeed Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera in Western New York, and Nathaniel Hezekiah, who’s running for retiring Assembly Member Vivian Cook’s seat with Rep. Greg Meeks’ support.