In a big-bucks election season, Democratic incumbent Joan Christensen is spending more than she’s raised to keep her seat in the 119th State Assembly District.
Since Jan. 1, 2008, Christensen has spent $23,275.99 on her re-election campaign, according to reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections. She’s raised $22,013 this year, leaving her $1,262 short.
Christensen is running for a tenth term representing the 119th State Assembly District. Her challenger is Republican Christina Fadden Fitch. The 119th Assembly District includes the towns of DeWitt, Salina and Onondaga, as well as parts of the city of Syracuse.
Despite having been elected nine consecutive times, Christensen is spending more money on this campaign than she’s ever spent before. Most of Christensen’s money has come from individual donors that reside in her district. Since Jan. 1,2008, Christensen has received a total of 137 donations.
Here are some of the figures from her campaign finance reports:
- 40 percent — or $8,446—has come from 76 individual donors who live in the 119th District.
- Of the 76 individual donors, 33 have donated more than $100.
- 33 percent—or $7,294—came from political action committees. Political action committees are set up by candidates, or organizations to spend money to re-elect or defeat a candidate.
- 24 separate PAC’s have given money to the Christensen campaign.
- 15 percent—or $3,347—came from businesses.
- 4 percent—or—$1,006 has come from individual donors who live outside of the 119th District.
- 2 percent—or $575 — came from unions.
Christensen’s donations and expenditures contrast sharply with that of her opponent, Christina Fitch. Fitch has raised only $650, compared to Christensen’s more than $22,000. Fitch has spent $8,285.18 compared to Christensen’s spending of around $23,000.
Among Christensen’s notable donors:
- Syracuse University’s chancellor, Nancy Cantor, gave $119 to Christensen.
- The New York State Nurses Association PAC was Christensen’s largest donor. The group gave her $1,488.
- The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers was Christensen’s second largest donation. They gave her $775.
To date, Christensen has used most of her money to put on fundraisers. In September, Christensen spent $18,500 on polls. She hired Kiley and Company, a Boston-based opinion research firm to conduct a poll of likely voters. Kiley and Company is a Democratic pollster that works with candidates nationwide.
(Ashley Pettigrew is a senior with dual majors in newspaper journalism and policy studies)
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