For her political money, Christina Fadden Fitch connects mostly with individual donors who see her as a grassroots candidate in the 119th state Assembly District’s race.
“She’s not a politician. She’s not from a good ol’ boys club, the country clubs, the yacht crowd. She’s down to earth,” said Joy Hunter of Syracuse. Hunter is one of 12 individual donors who’ve contributed a total of $11,550 to Fitch’s campaign. Hunter, a recycling business co-owner with her husband, gave $500 to Fitch’s campaign. Her first contact with Fitch, said Hunter, came when Fitch was working with Ann Marie Buerkle, the Republican challenger in the 25th Congressional District race.
Fitch, 46, of Liverpool, is the Conservative Party candidate running for the 119th state Assembly District seat in November. In the election, she is facing Republican John Sharon, an attorney in the Onondaga County Attorney’s Office; Democrat Sam Roberts, a former county legislator; and Green Party member Michael Donnelly, a court-appointed attorney for the poor from DeWitt. All are contending to fill the seat occupied by assemblywoman Joan Christensen, D-Syracuse, who’s retiring.
The 119th state Assembly District includes Salina, DeWitt, Onondaga and parts of Syracuse. The election is Nov. 2.
In the 2008 election, Fitch ran and lost as the Republican challenger to incumbent Christensen. Since the day after that election through Oct. 22, Fitch has raised $12,026, according to financial disclosures from the New York State Board of Elections. For this election, Fitch is behind two of her three competitors in campaign funding. Roberts, the Democrat, leads the way for all candidates in the race with $34,589 raised since the 2008 election.
Here are highlights of Fitch’s fundraising, from reports filed with the State Board of Elections:
- As of Oct. 22, she has raised $12,026.
- Of that, 99.7 percent — or $11,994.60 — came from individuals.
- Her largest single donors are Peter Muserlian and Nancy Muserlian of Fayetteville, who each gave $3,800.
- As of Oct. 22, Fitch had spent $6,379 since the 2008 election. Most of this was spent on campaign materials from printing companies and on reimbursements to her and her campaign.
- As of Oct. 22, she had $5,646 on hand.
James Quinn, vice chair of the state’s Conservative Party, of Sodus Point, is another Fitch campaign donor. Winning will be tough for Fitch, he said, because she’s “not going to get very much money.” He contributed because he is a member of the Conservative Party and she is running on that party’s line. Quinn gave $100 to her campaign.
He first saw her at a Conservative Political Action Committee, or CPAC, in Albany, he said. “I believe she’s up against it,” said Quinn. “She’s a different voice. She’s not going to be able to get her message out unless she has money.”
For her part, Fitch downplays the importance of money to her campaign. “I have faith in the electorate they want to look at the person,” said Fitch. And she acknowledges the obstacles she has as a third-party candidate. In 2008, she could count at least on some support from GOP networks. As the Conservative Party candidate, she said, she has a smaller base to call on.
So, she said, she’s relying more on one-on-one campaigning. Said Fitch: “I’ve had to take a creative approach this year.”
(Andrew Chernoff is a junior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and political science.)
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