ALBANY, N.Y. — Democrat Andrew Cuomo has reported raising another $9.27 million for his gubernatorial campaign, pushing his available total to $23.6 million. According to the campaign, Cuomo received 3,951 contributions over the past six months on top of $16.1 million he had on hand in mid-January. The New York attorney general, whom polls show as the clear front-runner to...
ALBANY, N.Y. — Democrat Andrew Cuomo has reported raising another $9.27 million for his gubernatorial campaign, pushing his available total to $23.6 million.
According to the campaign, Cuomo received 3,951 contributions over the past six months on top of $16.1 million he had on hand in mid-January. The New York attorney general, whom polls show as the clear front-runner to replace Gov. David Paterson, spent $1.75 million.
Paterson, the lieutenant governor who became governor after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned two years ago, has decided not to run for a full term.
Republican candidate Rick Lazio, a former congressman, faces a primary challenge from Buffalo developer Carl Paladino, who filed petitions Thursday.
Paladino spent $1.7 million campaigning in the past six months, mostly his money, leaving $52,823 on hand, according to his campaign finance report.
Lazio’s report, due late Thursday, was not immediately available. His campaign had $637,356 on hand in January.
Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group said only George Pataki in 2002 and Eliot Spitzer in 2006 had raised more money than Cuomo at the same point in the election cycle, and they both went on to victory. “It’s not record breaking, but for someone who doesn’t have a strong primary opponent, it’s certainly a very impressive number,” Mahoney said.
Jimmy McMillan, of the Rent is Too Damn High Party, filed petitions with the state Board of Elections on Wednesday to challenge Cuomo in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary. His finance reports were also unavailable.
The attorney general, a former U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is the son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo. Andrew Cuomo is touring the eastern side of upstate New York in an RV making campaign stops in the Hudson Valley, greater Albany area and northern New York.
The New York Daily News reports that Cuomo was asked about his fundraising at a stop Thursday at Rockland Community College in Ramapo. “I don’t know the precise number, but we’ll have enough money to run an effective campaign,” he said.