The political treasure chests for the candidates in the 23rd Congressional District have topped the million-dollar mark.
U.S. Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, and his Republican challengers —Doug Hoffman, an accountant from Lake Placid, and Matt Doheny, a financial portfolio manager from Watertown — have each raised more than a million dollars for their campaigns, according to reports filed with theFederal Election Commission.
That’s typical, said Dave Levinthal, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C. The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan watchdog group specializing in campaign finances.
For example, the average winner in 2008 for a house election raised $1.4 million overall, said Levinthal. In the 23rd Congressional District race, Owens has already raised about $1.8 million, Hoffman has about $2 million and Doheny has about $1.3 million, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commision on April 15, 2010.
“These folks already have as much, if not more than it takes to win a house race,” said Levinthal of the Center for Responsive Politics. “They’re very good financially.”
In 2009, Owens won the seat in a special election to succeed then-Rep.John McHugh, R- Pierrepont, whom president Barack Obama appointed as secretary of the Army. The race drew national attention for its ferocity and money. Hoffman and Owens raised a total of $2.8 million. The district, which covers north of Syracuse up to Canada, had been a Republican district for 157 years until Owens’ victory.
The race drew so much attention, intensity and money, said Kristi Andersen, a Syracuse University political scientist, partly as a referendum on Obama, partly because it was a rare contested Congressional race that year and partly because Democrats were eager to break the Republican hold on the district.
“Democrats would have put money in,” she said,” because it’s historically a Republican district.”
The race also drew money and attention as a battleground between the moderate and conservative wings of the Republican party, said Andersen. The GOP had nominated Dede Scozzafava, a moderate assemblywoman from the 122nd Assembly District. But conservatives supported Hoffman’s insurgent campaign that eventually forced Scozzafava out of the race. She then endorsed the Democrat, Owens, who won.
The campaign, said Andersen, was “also symbolic for the division between the party” wings in the GOP.
The primary elections are Sept. 14, 2010. The general election is Nov. 2, 2010.
For incumbent Owens, here are some highlights of his campaign finances, from the April 15 filing to the FEC and from the Center for Responsive Politics:
- Owens raised about $1.8 million.
- 54 percent — or $987,625 — came from individual contributions.
- 35 percent of his campaign — or $634,425 — came from political action committees, or PACs, which are groups organized to raise money for candidates or issues. His top three PAC contributors are ActBlue, an online organization that collects donations for Democratic candidates, at $248,059; JStreetPAC, a group that promotes the views of predominantly Jewish Americans, at $21,630; and AmeriPAC: The Fund for a Greater America, a PAC that supports Democratic candidates, at $20,000.
- 8 percent — or $160,500 — is from a loan to himself.
- He spent about $1.4 million, according to the FEC report.
- Between Jan. 1, 2010, and March 31, 2010, Owens had spent $270,316. About 54 percent of that — or $146,266 — was spent on advertising.
- Owens has $383,494 cash on hand.
For Republican challenger Hoffman, the campaign finance reports and the Center for Responsive Politics show these highlights:
- Hoffman has raised a total of about $2 million.
- He has spent $1.7 million.
- He has $262,813 cash on hand.
- Between Jan. 1, 2010, and March 31, 2010, he spent $77,259.
- 15 percent of his campaign money — or $302,000 — comes from his own pocket as a loan to his campaign.
- 78 percent — or $1.5 million— came from individual donors.
- 6 percent — or $120,315 — came from PACs.
Hoffman is preparing to step up his fundraising, according to his spokesman, Rob Ryan. Hoffman has already compiled a list of about 200,000 donors for the election this year, said Ryan.
For Republican challenger Doheny, the FEC report and the Center for Responsive Politics has these fundraising highlights:
- Doheny had raised about $1.3 million.
- 50 percent — or $650,000 — was from a loan to himself.
- 50 percent — or $661,895 — of his contributions came from named individuals. Some of his biggest single donors are Robin Arocha, a homemaker from Dallas, Texas; Mark I Bane, an attorney from Lawrence, N.Y,; and Mikel Curreri, a managing director at Deutsch Bank, from New York City. Each gave two $2,400 donations.
- He received $100 from PACs.
- Doheny spent $498,780.
- Between Jan. 1, 2010, and March 31, 2010, he spent $37,679.
- Doheny has $813,214 cash on hand.
(Katrina Koerting is junior with dual majors in newspaper and political science.)
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