The guy who owns the Knicks just became New York's biggest Republican money man.
James Dolan, the sports and entertainment mogul who runs Madison Square Garden, previously bankrolled Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's campaign. Now he's funneling $1.4 million through his company and family members into committees backing her Republican challenger, Bruce Blakeman, as first reported. On top of that, the Dolan operation is stacking millions more into super PACs designed to help Blakeman kick Hochul out of the governor's mansion.
Nothing says "I've had a change of heart" quite like seven figures going in the opposite direction.
The timing here is absolutely chef's kiss for the GOP. One of their other big money donors recently stopped writing checks, so Dolan rolling up with a dump truck full of cash is basically political CPR. Republicans desperately need Blakeman to run a competitive race against Hochul because several New York swing seats hang in the balance. Those contests could determine whether the GOP keeps its grip on Congress during the final stretch of President Trump's term.
Now here's where things get really interesting. According to Politico, Trump is backing an $8 billion renovation of Penn Station that would let Madison Square Garden stay exactly where it is. That's a pretty convenient development for a guy who just started showering Trump's allies with campaign donations. Purely coincidental, surely.
Trump and Blakeman both showed up to Dolan's luxury suite for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. And Dolan is reportedly planning to bring the championship Knicks to the White House, which would be the first time an NBA title winner has visited during either of Trump's presidential terms. So the relationship is going great, basically.
New York Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar offered the most diplomatically savage assessment possible. "Historically, he's leaned toward Republicans, but he hasn't always been about Republicans," Kassar said. "He's been about what's best for his business interests." Translation: follow the money, folks.
A spokesperson for MSG Entertainment put it even more bluntly, saying the company supports "candidates that are interested in helping all New Yorkers. That cannot be done in a failing economy." That's corporate speak for "we switched teams because the other team wasn't winning."
The political pivot also includes $2 million flowing into MSG's own super PAC, which used to support moderate Democrats like Hochul. That same PAC started routing cash to another super PAC originally built for Rep. Elise Stefanik's brief gubernatorial bid, which now funds advertising for Blakeman. Both organizations list MSG's top government relations executive, Richard Constable, as an officer in state filings.
Meanwhile, Dolan has been publicly feuding with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, over arena security logistics. He publicly torched the mayor and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, calling them "fake fans" who lack the experience to run the city.
So to recap: Dolan helped elect Hochul, turned around and funded her opponent, got a friendly Penn Station deal, hosted Trump courtside, and called the mayor a fake fan. That's not a political pivot. That's a whole pirouette.
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