Democrats spend so much time blustering about fair elections, we had assumed they actually believed in the concept.

They proved last week they do not.

On Tuesday, the state’s Public Campaign Finance Board chose to deny the application filed by Bruce Blakeman, Republican candidate for governor, to receive six-to-one public matching funds for individual campaign donations up to $250. Were the application fundamentally flawed, we could see denying the application. But that’s not what happened here.

In December, the board created a joint filing requirement that both the governor candidate and their running mate file jointly for public funding. Blakeman had filed his application before selecting a running mate, so his form didn’t include his running mate. It would have been an easy correction, and we’re interested to see if the campaign finance board would have extended that opportunity for a Democratic Party candidate. What’s worse is it doesn’t appear Blakeman intentionally filled the paperwork out incorrectly. He filed before the state had created an updated form with space for both candidates.

Common sense would have dictated an opportunity to fix the issue given the Public Campaign Finance Board botched the rollout of a new requirement. In New York, common sense is the road not taken. But that shouldn’t be a surprise. The campaign finance board includes one member chosen by the governor, two chosen by Democrats and Republicans and then one each by the legislative majority and minority. So, in New York, the will board will always have a 4-3 Democratic Party edge. Democrats win more statewide elections than Republicans, and to the victors go the spoils. Hochul doesn’t need the spoils. She’s got a $20 million war chest. Public campaign financing was supposed to even the playing field for challengers, but that won’t happen this year. .

Blakeman has run a loud campaign that has put Hochul in its crosshairs. He pulls no punches. Perhaps, had he behaved more like Oliver Twist, timidly approaching the state Public Campaign Finance Board with his empty bowl asking for its good will, he’d have been given the opportunity to correct an application flaw the state had a hand in creating. Curing flawed election ballots has been a strong focus of legislative Democrats over the past several years. Curing flawed campaign finance applications, apparently, is not.

As is often the case, in Albany politics, what’s good for me doesn’t apply to thee.