With just a handful of days left in the campaign season, both of the candidates for State Senate have money left in their bank accounts for the final push. The reports filed Friday cover the 21-day period from about the end of September to late last week and are the last look the public will get until after the election at who’s funding each campaign.
Democratic Senator Darrel Aubertine, seeking reelection, has a cash-on-hand advantage over Republican challenger Dave Renzi. Aubertine reports about $75,000 as of Friday, while Renzi’s bank account has a little under $44,000. Their filings are here:
Aubertine also enjoyed a significant advantage in money raised in the last three weeks. His campaign reports having received $248,000 through Friday, while Renzi raised $156,000 during the same period.
For both men, the largest source of funds was their respective state parties. Aubertine received $210 thousand from the state Democratic Committee in three transfers during August: $41,000 on the 3rd, $75,000 on the 15th and $94,000 on the 20th. Renzi received $90,000 in two transfers from the state Senate Republican Committee: $50,000 on the 9th and $40,000 on the 16th.
The race is one of a handful of critical State Senate races this year. Democrats need to hold Aubertine’s seat, which he grabbed from the Republicans earlier this year in a special election caused by the retirement of longtime Republican Senator Jim Wright. And if Democrats take just a couple of seats elsewhere away from the Republicans who currently hold them, Democrats will take control of the Senate for the first time in decades. Democrats hold a strong advantage in the State Assembly and the current Governor, David Paterson, is a Democrat.
The money spent by the two parties’ state committees in the special election made the race the most expensive Legislature race ever in Upstate New York.
The only public poll in the race showed Aubertine with a 20-point lead. The Siena College poll came out about a week before this current reporting period began.
Aubertine received $8,100 in 42 donations from individuals in the last 21 days. Thirty of those came from individuals (12 had no name listed after them), and all but three came from within the 48th Senate District. Those three donations totaled $850. Renzi received 23 donations (3 with no name listed) totaling $13,000. All but one came from within the district. That donation came from New York City and totaled $5,000. Four other donors gave $1,000, meaning that about three-quarters of donations to Renzi’s campaign came from just five people. Aubertine had one donor give $1,000; all others gave less.
Five corporations or partnerships donated $2,200 to Aubertine. They are: Cranberry Lake Mountaineers Snowmobile Club; Missing Link Snowmobile Club of Carthage; Akwesasne Petroleum Cooperative of Hogansburg; Watertown Holiday Inn Express; and Coventry Health Care of Bethesda, Maryland.
Renzi received two donations from corporations or parnerships, totalling $1,200. They are: Watertown Holiday Inn Express; and Tag Mechanical Systems of Syracuse.
Watertown Holiday Inn Express gave Renzi $1,000 and gave Aubertine $500.
Renzi received 12 donations listed as “other monetary donations”. They totaled $51,892. Aubertine’s 14 “other monetary donations” added up to $28,000.
This is a campaign that has been waged not only on the ground, through constant press conferences and public events, but also through constant media campaigns.
Renzi spent $98,995 on television advertising, to Scott Howell and Co. of Alexandria, Virginia. The vast majority of other expenses were for routine items such as rent, office supplies and utilities.
Aubertine reported spending about $218,000 in the last 21 days. Nearly all of it, $210,000 was for TV advertising, through GSG Communications of New York City.
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People should not be Voting for the Men or Women because of their Money. If you’ve got so much .. Start handing some out. I need some.