Every important claim should be traceable to a source. Where the available record is incomplete, Who Runs NY says so instead of filling the gap.
Source hierarchy
- Official county and state election records for candidate and ballot status.
- NYS Board of Elections and Federal Election Commission filings for money in and money out.
- Official legislative transcripts, roll calls and member pages for incumbent voting history.
- Candidate and campaign materials for biographies, positions and contact information.
- Reputable reporting only when a primary source does not supply the relevant background.
Campaign-finance matching
Candidate names are matched to registered committees and transaction records for the current election cycle. Amendments are preferred when duplicate transaction identifiers appear. Transfers are reported separately from contributions and expenditures. A missing match is labeled as missing—it is never presented as proof of zero fundraising.
Candidate and incumbent labels
“Incumbent” is used only for a candidate who currently holds the office being contested. Everyone else is identified as a candidate for that office.
AI and review
Research is AI-assisted and curated by Rae Arora. Automated extraction can make mistakes, so direct source links, explicit coverage dates and a corrections process are part of the publication standard.