Election Day may be more than three months away, but financial statements from the two men running for State Senate in the North Country show the campaign’s well underway and both candidates are raising and spending money.
Financial statements filed by the July 15 deadline with the state Board of Elections show this bottom line for incumbent 48th District Democratic Senator Darrel Aubertine and Republican challenger Dave Renzi:
Aubertine money raised this quarter: $205,975.55
Renzi: $80,653.61
Aubertine spent: $194,984.73
Renzi spent: $24,778.28
Aubertine’s cash on hand: $45,329.44 (including an opening balance of $34,338.62)
Renzi’s cash on hand: $55,875.33
(Aubertine’s filings are here; Renzi’s are here.)
Aubertine has raised more than twice the amount of his challenger but spent nearly as much as he raised in the quarter. While Renzi has more cash in the bank as of the date of the filing, his campaign has begun buying TV commercial time and none of that spending is reflected in this report.
For both campaigns, the largest expense is for media — commercials, websites and media placement. Nearly all of Aubertine’s $194,984.73 in spending this quarter went in three chunks — two checks, totaling about $144,000 to a political consultancy called A-Political LLC and the third to a political website company called VShift for $18,000. The checks to A-Political went for, as the filing notes, “commission on media services” and “post prod[uction] adv[ertising] adm[inistration]”.
The first check to A-Political, dated April 20, appears to have been a bill from the February special election, in which Aubertine and Republican Assemblyman Will Barclay spent huge amounts of money on TV commercials and direct mail. The second one was cut in June.
As for Renzi, $19,477.50 of his spending went to one place, the Alexandria, Virginia company Scott, Howell & Co., LLP for commercial production.
Aubertine lists individual contributions from 22 people, nearly all of whom live in Jefferson or St. Lawrence counties. Two contributions, including one from former Oswego Mayor Terry Hammill, came from Oswego County. Two checks, totaling $400, came from out of the region.
Renzi listed 26 individual contributors, all of whom come from either Jefferson or St. Lawrence counties.
Aubertine outraised Renzi from individuals and partnerships by nearly a 2 to 1 margin, $7,929.50 to $4,130.81.
Corporations gave 10 donations to Aubertine, to just one to Renzi. Aubertine received corporate cash from, among other companies, the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, the engineering firm Barton & Logiudice and the Oswego distributorship Eagle Beverage. Renzi’s corporate contribution, $500, came from Seaway Valley Capital Corporation.
Renzi also received checks totaling $6,000 from other political campaigns, including the campaigns of Republican Senators Farley, Winner, Volker and Little as well as from the Jefferson County Republican Committee.
For both men, the bulk of their campaign cash came from their respective parties. The state Democratic Party sent Aubertine four checks during the reporting period, totaling $158,300.21. Renzi received two checks from the New York State Senate Republican Campaign, for $70,000.
Each campaign refunded one contribution.
It’ll be early October before we get another look at the fundraising and spending of these campaigns. The next filing date is October 3, 32 days before the election.
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