The foundations of any successful high-profile campaign usually include strong fund-raising operations, and the race to replace term-limited Mayor Michael Bloomberg is no exception. As tomorrow’s deadline approaches for candidates to release their quarterly fund-raising totals, most of the campaigns are claiming success.
Former MTA chair Joe Lhota for example, raised a healthy $558,000 for his bid. Read More
Former Councilwoman Melinda Katz raised $80,000 during the most recent filing period, placing her total at $489,313 raised thus far, her campaign for Queens borough president announced this morning.
“We’re in great shape going into our final push to hit the max by the July filing,” a campaign source wrote to Politicker in an email. Read More
Comptroller John Liu is the only one of the major Democratic mayoral contender whose campaign hasn’t officially released his fundraising numbers from the latest filing period to the press. However, Mr. Liu’s numbers are actually worth boasting about. Though the raw amount he’s raised doesn’t compare to his rivals, when you factor in publicly-matched contributions, Mr. Liu appears to be sitting on the second-highest pile of campaign cash behind only Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has already raised the maximum amount allowed for the primary
“We’re just about there in maxing out at the spending limit,” a spokesperson for Mr. Liu said after Politicker reached out. “In fact, we’ve emphasized small amounts and from a broad base of NYC donors, the vast majority of whom are first-time donors to any campaign.” Read More
Assemblyman Micah Kellner has maxed out.
In 53 days, Mr. Kellner, a candidate for Upper East Side Councilwoman Jessica Lappin’s seat this year, has raised over $123,000 from over 440 donors, his campaign announced this morning. The total makes Mr. Kellner one of the strongest fundraisers in the city and effectively means he can’t raise any more money for the decisive Democratic primary while accepting public matching funds. Read More
Igor Oberman, who only started campaigning for Councilman Mike Nelson’s seat 3 weeks ago, has already raised more than $85,000 according to his campaign. The sum–likely to be among the largest earned by any of the city’s Council candidates this filing period–instantly puts down a strong marker in a heated race in southern Brooklyn. His team also said Mr. Oberman, an attorney and president of the board of directors in a large housing complex in the district, amassed the sum through over 200 donors, 70 percent of whom came from within the district. Read More
Although he won’t beat the record of the man he’s vying to replace, at 24 years old, Ritchie Torres would be one of the youngest members of City Council ever if he’s elected later this year. And so far at least, it seems he’s positioning himself well to do exactly that, raising $60,0000 in his latest filing and simultaneously announcing the endorsement of the Hotel Trades Council, a relatively small union known for punching above its weight.
“I am so appreciative for this critical endorsement. The Hotel Trades Council has one of the premier get out the vote operations in the state and I’m excited to have them on my team,” Mr. Torres, a staffer for neighboring Councilman Jimmy Vacca, said in a statement. Read More
