American Opportunity is a lobbying group funded in large part by billionaire media executive, former New York mayor, and unsuccessful presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, a major financial contributor to numerous left-of-center causes and Democratic Party political campaigns.

The organization attracted media attention in March 2023 after launching a large-scale advertising campaign to promote the policies of New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D). Numerous top American Opportunity staff also work for the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), a national political committee which supports Democratic gubernatorial candidates. However, the group has not acknowledged any ties to the DGA, and the association has declined to comment on the matter. American Opportunity has also refused to provide details on its legal status, and the group was not registered in the state of New York as of March 2023. ¹

The organization’s funding and secretive operations have made it a target of criticism from further-left observers opposed to Governor Hochul’s more conventionally liberal Democratic platform, including the prominent Marxist magazine Jacobin, socialist New York State Senator Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn), and left-wing policy advocacy group Common Cause. ^{2 3}

Background

Throughout early 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) faced coordinated opposition from further-left Democratic politicians. In February, the State Senate rejected one of her judicial nominees, and the following month members of the party’s left wing were criticizing of her budget bill for allegedly failing to sufficiently fund immigrant programs, loosen bail laws, and increase the minimum wage. Discontent among more hardline Democrats further increased following a statement by the state party chairman in which they cited “folks from the far left” as one reason for the party’s perceived poor performance in the 2022 midterm elections. ⁴

Impact

American Opportunity released a number of television and social media advertisements defending Governor Kathy Hochul’s track record and budget proposal in early 2023. Some of the ads were specifically geared towards women, particularly mothers with children, and touched on voter concerns such as public safety and property values. The campaign generated at least 1.5 million impressions on Facebook. ⁵

The organization’s campaign, its perceived lack of transparency, and its reliance on funding from former New York Governor and Republican-turned-Democrat Michael Bloomberg brought widespread criticism, especially from far-left observers hostile to Hochul and the establishment Democratic Party. Socialist State Senator Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn) called it “an absolutely disgusting show of financial power” which “doesn’t do the governor any favors.” Susan Lerner, executive director of the New York chapter of Common Cause, called the organization’s refusal to disclose its connections an “end-run” around voters’ “right to know who is supporting campaigns.” ⁶

Marxist magazine Jacobin cited the campaign as evidence that Hochul “isn’t that different” from her predecessors. ⁷ More mainstream sources reported on the campaign’s issues as well: the Times Union compared American Opportunity to the Committee to Save New York, an outside group which backed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) without filing the appropriate paperwork in the state, and the Washington Free Beacon pointed out that Michael Bloomberg had similarly funneled money to Democratic candidates in 2020 through his campaign. ^{8 9}

Leadership

As of 2023, Meghan Meehan-Draper, the president of American Opportunity, was also the executive director of the Democratic Governors Association. Stephen Hill, the organization’s treasurer at the time, was also the treasurer of the DGA political action committee. American Opportunity did not confirm any connections to the DGA as of March 2023, and the DGA had similarly declined to comment on its involvement with the group. ¹⁰

Michael Bloomberg is the primary financial backer of American Opportunity. ¹¹ He is the founder of Bloomberg LP, a multi-billion-dollar corporation with data, technology, media, and other ventures. One of the firm’s signature products is the Bloomberg Terminal, a financial management software package favored by Wall Street stock traders and analysts. ¹² Bloomberg has used his wealth to become a leading funder of left-of-center political causes: according to the Washington Post, he has contributed “tens of millions of dollars” to Democratic candidates since the 2016 election of former President Donald Trump. He is also a top donor to the anti-conventional fuel Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters, as well as the abortion provider and advocate Planned Parenthood. ¹³

Funding

Financial reports for American Opportunity were not accessible to the public as of March 2023, when the advertisement funding controversy first received widespread attention. However, the Albany Times Union estimated that the organization had spent “hundreds of thousands” of dollars. ¹⁴

1. Joshua Solomon. “’American Opportunity’ appears to be directly linked to Democratic Governors Association.” Times Union. March 21, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/american-opportunity-backs-hochul-offers-scant-17849834.php
2. Susan Kang. “Kathy Hochul Is Committed to New York’s Billionaires.” Jacobin. March 24, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://jacobin.com/2023/03/kathy-hochul-new-york-fiscal-budget-2024-corporate-tax-billionaires
3. Andrew Kerr. “Michael Bloomberg Secretly Funneled Millions To Help Save NY Governor’s Unpopular Budget.” The Washington Free Beacon. March 22, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/michael-bloomberg-secretly-funneled-millions-to-help-save-ny-governors-unpopular-budget/
4. Joseph Spector. “Bruising budget battle in New York deepens Democratic divide.” Politico. March 28, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/28/new-york-budget-battle-hochul-democrats-00089163
5. Joshua Solomon. “’American Opportunity’ appears to be directly linked to Democratic Governors Association.” Times Union. March 21, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/american-opportunity-backs-hochul-offers-scant-17849834.php
6. Andrew Kerr. “Michael Bloomberg Secretly Funneled Millions To Help Save NY Governor’s Unpopular Budget.” The Washington Free Beacon. March 22, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/michael-bloomberg-secretly-funneled-millions-to-help-save-ny-governors-unpopular-budget/
7. Susan Kang. “Kathy Hochul Is Committed to New York’s Billionaires.” Jacobin. March 24, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://jacobin.com/2023/03/kathy-hochul-new-york-fiscal-budget-2024-corporate-tax-billionaires
8. Joshua Solomon. “’American Opportunity’ appears to be directly linked to Democratic Governors Association.” Times Union. March 21, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/american-opportunity-backs-hochul-offers-scant-17849834.php
9. Andrew Kerr. “Michael Bloomberg Secretly Funneled Millions To Help Save NY Governor’s Unpopular Budget.” The Washington Free Beacon. March 22, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/michael-bloomberg-secretly-funneled-millions-to-help-save-ny-governors-unpopular-budget/
10. ^[1]Joshua Solomon. “’American Opportunity’ appears to be directly linked to Democratic Governors Association.” Times Union. March 21, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/american-opportunity-backs-hochul-offers-scant-17849834.php
11. Andrew Kerr. “Michael Bloomberg Secretly Funneled Millions To Help Save NY Governor’s Unpopular Budget.” The Washington Free Beacon. March 22, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/michael-bloomberg-secretly-funneled-millions-to-help-save-ny-governors-unpopular-budget/
12. Emily Stewart. “How Mike Bloomberg made his billions: a computer system you’ve probably never seen.” Vox. December 11, 2019. Accessed April 3, 2023.

    https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/2019/12/11/21005008/michael-bloomberg-terminal-net-worth-2020

13. Michael Scherer. “Mike Bloomberg’s spending spree: $8 billion in philanthropy and tens of millions to political causes.” The Washington Post. December 14, 2019. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mike-bloombergs-spending-spree-8-billion-in-philanthropy-and-tens-of-millions-to-political-causes/2019/12/14/8a9e1956-1d13-11ea-87f7-f2e91143c60d_story.html
14. Joshua Solomon. “’American Opportunity’ appears to be directly linked to Democratic Governors Association.” Times Union. March 21, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/american-opportunity-backs-hochul-offers-scant-17849834.php