Gov. Cuomo raised a hefty $7 million the past six months for his reelection effort and now has $33.3 million on hand, his campaign is reporting.
Cuomo in July reported having $27.8 million on hand. His campaign spent $1.5 million the past six months.
He held a series of fundraising events the past six months, including a birthday bash in December that featured rocker Billy Joel.
By contrast, George Pataki reported having $11 million on hand the January before his first reelection bid in 1998. With inflation factored in, that would equate to about $16 million in today’s dollars, far below Cuomo’s total.
“When it comes to campaign fundraising, Gov. Cuomo may turn out to be the home run king,” said Blair Horner, of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
Cuomo’s show of fundraising force comes at the same time he is calling for reforms to the campaign finance system, including the creation of a public financing component similar to the one in place for New York City.
The $7 million raised the past six months also came at the same time the anti-corruption commission he created was investigating the state’s campaign finance system as well as the nexus between legislation and fundraising.
State GOP Chairman Ed Cox, in a phone interview, called the haul “the height of hypocrisy.”
“Here he is using the present laws to raise funds and now he says we’re going to shut it down,” Cox said. “It’s typical of his heavy-handiness across the board. Whatever it takes.”
Cox added that “he’s going to have to answer for his record no matter how much he’s raised.”
Cuomo has said he supports changes to the campaign finance system, but will not unilaterally disarm. He said he will follow the laws in place.
He and his aides also have said that donations have no link to the policies he puts forward.
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, the Republican considering a run for governor, reported having less than $700,000 in his campaign coffers last month following a successful run for re-election in the Democrat-heavy county.
Billionaire developer Donald Trump has also said he is considering a run as a Republican and would have the money to compete, though even many of his fellow Republicans don’t believe he’ll ultimately enter the race.
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