The Green Party candidate for the 50th State Senate District seat evidently is lacking green – money.
As of Oct. 26, Michael Donnelly, running for the Greens in the 50th State Senate District, had no campaign finance reports on the website of the New York State Board of Elections.
Donnelly, a lawyer from DeWitt, is on the ballot to challenge incumbent Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse. As of Oct. 5, DeFrancisco had $959,887 on hand, according to the state board of elections website. Donnelly has not responded to interview requests for this story.
The election is Nov. 6.
State law requires candidates and any organization raising money for campaigns to report any fundraising of at least $1,000. It’s unlikely that Donnelly has reached the $1,000 mark requiring him to file, according to his own party and a political analyst.
The New York State Green Party usually donates thousands of dollars to Green Party candidates, according to Green Party executive committee Co-Chair Howie Hawkins. This money is usually allocated to candidates whom the state party believes is running a strong campaign and will use the money wisely, he said.
“He’s not running a strong campaign in the eyes of the state party so they did not fund him,” said Hawkins.
Donnelly has been absent for most of his campaign, seen only twice by his opponent. He has updated his website once since running in 2010 for the 119th State Assembly District seat. The update was a video announcing in the spring that he was challenging DeFrancisco.
For its money, the Green Party of Onondaga County chose to spend its funds on such expenses as rent, instead of endorsing local Green Party candidates.
On Donnelly’s fundraising, Hawkins says he has not heard any updates on Donnelly’s campaign since mid-summer. “Last I saw he was looking for a treasurer and does not have any funds,” Hawkins said.
Donnelly may not be running to win, suggested Jeff Stonecash, a political scientist at Syracuse University. Such candidates, he said, “might be running for no reason other than to get more visibility.”
On Donnelly’s lack of fundraising, Stonecash suggested Donnelly may be waiting until DeFrancisco is no longer running for office. “This might give Donnelly a claim if DeFrancisco retires in the next few years,” says Stonecash, “Something like, ‘I was the sacrificial lamb the last time around so I deserve a shot.’”
(Kristen Beatty is a senior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and political science.)
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