BUFFALO, N.Y. — There have been a lot of political ads on our air for the 23rd Congressional District Republican primary, so many in fact that they've been hard to avoid.
They vary from attack to testimonial but if the volume of ads is any indication both candidates Carl Paladino and Nick Langworthy are determined to win even if that means stating some things that aren't exactly true.
2 On Your Side verified four separate claims made in ads from both campaigns and an outside group that's spent several hundred thousand dollars opposing one candidate.
CRIME
The first ad paid for by Paladino for Congress includes a statement about how "crime is out of control, especially in New York." The ad cites a June 22 article from the New York post but fails to include the full title, which is 'Violent crime surging in New York, Los Angeles: Report.'
QUESTION
So is crime out of control across New York?
SOURCES
New York Post
Division of Criminal Justice Services
ANSWER
The short answer is no. The post cites 2022 data from the NYPD that shows how certain violent crimes like rapes, robberies, and felony assaults are all up but only in New York City, which is a couple of hundred miles from the 23rd Congressional District.
State numbers from the Division of Criminal Justice Services show that from 2012 to 2021 violent crime statewide *excluding* New York City has actually dropped 13.1%. Data for 2022 was not available, however.
Paladino's crime claim is about New York City, not the state or his district so we rate the claim false.
LANGWORTHY PAST
Another political ad set to start airing on Aug. 11 targets some previous comments that Langworthy has made. It includes video clips cut from a news broadcast during which Langworthy compliments his now opponent, "Carl is a tremendously popular figure here in Western New York."
QUESTION
Has Nick Langworthy supported Carl Paladino?
SOURCES
YNN - YouTube archive
ANSWER
While it does state the comments are "past statements" it is not made clear that Langworthy said what he did when Paladino was the GOP nominee for New York Governor and Langworthy was the Erie County Republican Party Chairman, whose job it was to elect Republicans.
OUTSIDE GROUP
The next question involves two ads from an outside group that make virtually the same claim. They're designed to attack previous political donations made by Paladino and include a line that says, "Paladino cut checks to Democrats giving thousands to Schumer, Kerry even Hillary Clinton."
QUESTION
Did Carl Paladino donate to Democrats?
SOURCE
Federal Election Commission
ANSWER
Yes, but years ago. FEC filings show that Paladino did donate to John Kerry's 2004 Presidential Campaign ($500) and to Hillary Clinton when she was Senator for New York (three donations totaling $5,200). Chuck Schumer also received money but the last donation was in 2009.
The ads that mention these donations were paid for by the American Liberty Action PAC, which Federal Election Commission filings also show has spent more than $313,000 on various media, mailers, and text messages opposing Paladino. 2 On Your Side also found $9,400 in support of Langworthy.
The company behind the PAC or Political Action Committee is Bulldog Compliance a division of yet another company, Red Curve Solutions — a budgeting and accounting services company for political campaigns headquartered in Massachusetts.
We have no idea who donated money to this PAC.
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN
Finally, a claim that voters have heard many times and is featured in several ads from the Paladino campaign. We chose two that include Paladino stating he's “created tens of thousands of jobs,” and that he's "a businessman, employing hundreds today and thousands through the years."
QUESTION
How many jobs has Carl Paladino created? Or currently employ?
SOURCE
Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program
ANSWER
Mixed. We can't verify how many total people Paladino has employed through the years but according to the application one of his companies filed for the Paycheck Protection Program. As of April 16, 2020, he was employing at least 499 people.