These endless legal challenges that define elections in New York are a joke in this country, and they are the reason why it is so expensive, or one of the reasons, it’s so expensive to run here and why so many people decide not to run.

Bloomberg is criticizing New York’s election-law environment—especially ballot-access litigation and procedural challenges—as unusually adversarial and routine. By calling the challenges “a joke,” he suggests the system has drifted from safeguarding fairness into gamesmanship that rewards lawyers and insiders. He links this legalistic culture to the high cost of campaigning: candidates must budget for attorneys, compliance, and court fights in addition to voter outreach. The result, he argues, is a deterrent effect that narrows the candidate pool, discouraging newcomers and less-wealthy contenders and thereby weakening competition and representation. The quote fits broader reform arguments for simplifying ballot access and reducing litigation-driven barriers to entry.