Congressman Towns

There's been some speculation as to whether veteran Congressman Ed Towns will actually campaign for reelection or not, a line of thought aided by his campaign, which, as of last Thursday, would not confirm whether or not he will indeed seek another term.

However, his campaign finance report, which he just filed today, was bound to shed some light on his intentions. If Mr. Towns had raised a miniscule amount of money in the last three months, it would have been indicative that he would throw in the towel. But that does not appear to be the case.

He's raised just under $200,000, largely in the month of March, which suggests he's seeking reelection. Although, given the strangeness of his campaign not putting the official word out as to his intentions, it's impossible to conclude anything until he submits petitions for reelection and lets the April 20th deadline to decline them pass.

Mr. Towns has two challengers, Councilman Charles Barron and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries. Mr. Barron hasn't posted his fundraising totals as of yet, but Mr. Jeffries has filed a report showing both more raised and more cash on hand. But Mr. Towns won't need to spend as much as he's already fairly well known to the electorate.

One interesting name in Mr. Towns' filing is former Governor David Paterson, who chipped in $1,000. However, his list of contributors could reinforce a narrative, suggested by Mr. Jeffries, that he's tied to Washington and its special interests, as the majority of his fundraising has been from PACs based outside of New York City.