For campaign money, U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei, D-DeWitt, has a big lead over his Republican challengers in 25th Congressional District race.
Maffei has raised more than $1.7 million, according to April 15 campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. That’s more than five times as much as the money raised by his leading challengers combined.
For the Republican challengers, the reports showed Ann Marie Buerkle, an assistant state attorney general, with $116,183 and Mark Bitz, former CEO of Plainville Farms, with $186,301. The third Republican who’s said he’s running, Mario Paolini, a retired teacher from Fabius, has not filed a report.
Maffei’s fundraising advantage will not win him votes, said Danny Hayes, a political scientist at Syracuse University. But the money and his incumbency will give him a leg up in campaigning and in the race. “Maffei is in a fairly strong position,” Hayes said. “Incumbents tend to be elected at very high rates.”
The 25th Congressional District includes all of Onondaga and Wayne Counties, the northern part of Cayuga County and portions of Monroe County. As long as two Republicans stay in the race, they face each other in a primary election on Sept. 14. The general election is Nov. 2.
From the April 15 reports to the FEC, here is a look at the campaign fundraising of the candidates:
Dan Maffei (Democrat, incumbent)
The Maffei campaign sees the large fundraising totals as a sign of widespread support throughout the district, spokeswoman Abby Gardner said. That will mean votes too, she predicted. “We expect that will translate at the polls this year,” she said.
Of the more than $1.7 million in his campaign war chest, Maffei’s campaign finance highlights include:
- 52 percent — or $907,011 — came from individual donors.
- Among donors contributing $4,800 are Robert Congel, founder of Pyramid Companies and the Destiny USA project; David Rich, executive vice president of the Greater New York Hospital Association and Laura Aswad, executive director of Real Arts and Culture, LLC, in Woodstock, N.Y.
- About one percent of his total fundraising — or $15,550 — came from Syracuse University administrators, professors and staff.
- 46 percent — or $793,965 — came from 450 donations of political action committees, or PACS, which are groups that raise money to support candidates or issues.
- Maffei’s top three PACS are the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of the party, at $24,000; the American Banker’s Association at $10,000 and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers at $7,500.
38 percent — or $645,680 — came from within the 25th Congressional District.
Maffei has not contributed any of his own money to his campaign. He has spent $581,205 on his campaign so far. The biggest expenditures are $15,428 to Campaign Finance Consultants, Inc. for consulting services; $10,500 in polling expenses to Kiley & Company; and $10,500 in travel expenses to the Democratic National Committee.
Ann Marie Buerkle (Republican, challenger)
Ann Marie Buerkle downplays Maffei’s lead. Instead, she stresses that most of her money has come in since she received the Republican andConservative party endorsements in early March. “I am absolutely thrilled at the momentum we are getting,” Buerkle said.
Of the $116,183 Buerkle raised, the highlights include:
- About 75 percent — or $86,683 — came from 71 individual donors.
- Among donors giving $4,800 are Robert Hugin, CEO of Celegene Corp., a bio-pharmaceuticals company, in Summit, N.J.; Sadie Buerkle of Auburn, N.Y.; and $4,800 from Joseph Colella, a petroleum trader with Lukoil Pan Americas.
- Less than 2 percent — or $1,500 — came from PACs.
- 24 percent — or $28,000 — has come directly from Buerkle herself, including a $15,000 loan that kick started her campaign in January.
- 65 percent — or about $76,000 — has come from donations inside the district, including Buerkle’s own contributions.
Buerkle has spent almost $14,000 of her campaign funds so far. The biggest expenditure was $3,250 to the Stoneridge Group for a partial payment of her Web site design.
Mark Bitz (Republican, challenger)
Mark Bitz, former CEO of Plainville Farms, has suspended his campaign and fundraising efforts until June. Then he will decide if he will challenge Buerkle in a primary or drop out, he said.
Of the $186,301 Bitz raised before he suspended his campaign, the highlights include:
- 46 percent — or $86,201 — came from 52 individual donors.
- Among donors giving $4,800 are his parents, Janice and Robert Bitz of Plainville, N.Y.; Bill Burrows, president of Burrows Paper Corp., of Little Falls, N.Y.; and Roland F. Anderson , Jr., president of Atlas Health Care, of Syracuse.
- 54 percent — or $100,000 — was Bitz’s own money.
(Brian Hayden is a senior newspaper journalism major.)
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