Candidates add hot air to fund facts

Public advocate candidates are inflating their popularity — thanks to taxpayer money.

Assemblyman Michael Blake, a Bronx Democrat known for his fund-raising prowess, blasted out an email saying he had raised nearly $1 million for a fund-raising period ending Tuesday — the most of any candidate. But only $334,472 of it is in contributions from individual donors, according to data from his campaign. Well over half — $646,232 — will come in the form of matching funds.

Blake has opted in to new fund-raising regulations — which limit the amount he can accept from donors but increases the amount of matching funds he is receiving for small-dollar contributions from city residents.

Of the 1,507 donations he pulled in, 842 were eligible for matching funds, his campaign said, and those contributions will be matched at a new rate of eight to one.

Councilman Jumaane Williams got a smaller amount of money in contributions — but will end up netting more than Blake, his campaign said, because more of his donations qualify for matching funds.

The Williams campaign sent out an email overnight boasting of having “raised” more than $1 million — but like Blake, the vast majority of that cash is in taxpayer-matching funds.

Williams received $204,065 in donations, and his camp said $107,883 would qualify for matching funds at a rate of eight-to-one, boosting him above $1 million.