Aubertine, Ritchie gain financial support from outside their 48th Senate district
Syracuse, NY - A new poll showing state Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, leading Republican Andrew Russo by 10 points may be closer than it appears, the pollster said.
Siena Institute pollster Steven Greenberg noted that both candidates in the 49th Senate District had similar favorability ratings, and that 11 percent were unsure for whom they would vote. And, Greenberg noted, while Valesky’s fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo led by 20 points in the district in the race for governor, Valesky has only half that lead.
“I think this race is a long way from over with four weeks to go,” Greenberg said.
In the Siena poll, released today, Valesky holds a 50-40 percent lead. The poll of 406 likely voters was conducted last week and has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
Valesky, the third-highest ranking senator, is running for his fourth term. Russo, a concert pianist who lives in Fayetteville, is seeking his first public office.
The race is important for both parties because the balance of power in the state Senate is fragile – 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans. Russo, a political newcomer, is running on a platform of reform and has already received $9,500 from the campaign of Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos and $36,500 from the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.
“We feel Andrew Russo is within striking distance,” said Scott Reif, spokesman for the Senate Republican committee.
Russo defeated East Syracuse Mayor Danny Liedka 66 percent to 34 percent in the Sept. 14 primary.
Another Central New York race, the 48th Senate District, is also getting statewide attention. The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has given $92,250 to Sen. Darrel Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent.
Aubertine is in a neck-and-neck race with St. Lawrence County Clerk Patricia Ritchie. A poll released Sept. 28 by the Siena Institute had Ritchie leading 48 to 45 percent. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
Austin Shafran, spokesman for the DSCC, noted that Republicans hold a bigger enrollment advantage in the 48th Senate District — which includes Oswego and Jefferson counties, and part of St. Lawrence County — than in any of the 62 Senate districts. Only 29 percent of the district’s active voters are enrolled Democrat.
“So obviously it’s always one of the targets of the GOP,” Shafran said.
Aubertine spokesman Drew Mangione said, “The senator is in a tough race. He has reached out for support and he’s receiving it.”
In the 49th District race, the latest campaign filings show that Valesky has a 5-to-1 advantage in cash on hand. He has $378,000 in the bank compared to Russo’s $72,000. Valesky didn’t have a primary, but he has spent about $253,000 on polls, television advertising, strategists and other staff since July.
Since January 2009, Valesky has raised about $681,000. Russo has raised about $260,000 and has loaned his campaign $19,000.
Russo downplayed Valesky’s fund-raising advantage.
“We’re very confident from this point on we will have the resources we need,” Russo said.
Valesky could not be reached for comment. His campaign spokeswoman, Jessica DeCerce, issued a short statement that read, in part: “The fact that the polls show that the voters recognize Dave’s work is encouraging, but Dave knows that there’s still a lot of work to do.”
The 49th district includes all of Madison County and parts of Onondaga, Cayuga and Oneida counties, including portions of Syracuse, Rome and Auburn.
Documents filed with the state Board of Elections give a rundown of campaign donations in other Central New York state races:
48th Senate District: Aubertine has raised $334,877 in 2009 and 2010. Ritchie has raised $154,580 since she began raising funds in March.
Ritchie and Aubertine — who was first elected senator in 2008 — are both getting the bulk of their large donations from outside the 48th Senate District. Only two of Ritchie’s 30 biggest campaign contributions came from donors inside the district.
Ritchie has raised $154,580 this year and has $42,493 left. Her campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
54th Senate District: Democrat Ed O’Shea is trailing far behind in fund-raising compared to Republican incumbent Michael Nozzolio. Nozzolio has raised a total of $359,950 in 2009 and 2010. O’Shea started fund-raising in June, and has received $6,451. At the end of the most recent filing period, O’Shea reported a balance of $1,181 while Nozzolio had $243,830.
50th Senate District: Veteran Republican state Sen. John DeFrancisco, of Syracuse, holds a towering fundraising advantage over his Democratic challenger, Syracuse Common Councilor Kathleen Joy. DeFrancisco, who has served nine terms in the 50th district, had more than $728,000 in campaign funds as of Sept. 27, compared with just over $15,000 for Joy.
“This is a sweat-equity campaign,” Joy said. “People in the community don’t have the extra resources to donate to a campaign. So they’re donating with their time and their energy.”DeFrancisco, who ended last year with almost $750,000 in campaign funds, has raised an additional $97,136 this year compared with $29,264 for Joy, according to campaign finance reports.
Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 470-3251. Staff writers Mike McAndrew, Tim Knauss and Scott Rapp contributed to this report.