Democrat Kathy Hochul will report raising over $350,000 through March 31 for the special election next month in New York's 26th District.
While the Erie County Clerk wasn't selected as her party's nominee until March 19, she had been raising money for a potential bid during nearly all of March through donations on her website. She filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on March 8 and a statement of organization on March 11.
While the Erie County Clerk wasn't selected as her party's nominee until March 19, she had been raising money for a potential bid during nearly all of March through donations on her website. She filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on March 8 and a statement of organization on March 11.
Hochul told Hotline On Call that haul came before her campaign held any fundraisers and was mostly from website donations and "calling people and reaching out to people."
"We've been raising money for a fairly short time," said Hochul. "I think it shows a message as well that there's a deep grassroots support up here from a lot of individual donors and organizations."
Hochul will still have an uphill battle in the GOP-leaning district against Republican Jane Corwin and independent candidate Jack Davis, who is running on the Tea Party line. Neither have yet reported their fundraising totals ahead of the May 24 special election, but they both have the ability to self-fund a campaign, and Davis has pledged to spend as much as $3 million of his own money in the race.
"While I don't have an ability to pull a check for $3 million or $5 million out of my pocket the way both my opponents have, I think that again it shows a contrast that there are people that support me for the right reasons, and I feel very confident about that," said Hochul. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is still assessing the race and deciding whether they will commit resources, but Hochul said their process isn't affecting her decision-making. "Clearly our race is full steam ahead independent of any thoughts in Washington. I think the ability to raise $350,000, to have the support of the people up here, that's what counts most to me," she said. "I certainly cannot be accused of being anyone's handpicked candidate at this point. Certainly if people want to help me, they're welcome, but that has not held us back one bit. We're moving forward very rapidly."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/04/democrat-hochul-raises-350k-for-ny-26-special-election-13
"We've been raising money for a fairly short time," said Hochul. "I think it shows a message as well that there's a deep grassroots support up here from a lot of individual donors and organizations."
Hochul will still have an uphill battle in the GOP-leaning district against Republican Jane Corwin and independent candidate Jack Davis, who is running on the Tea Party line. Neither have yet reported their fundraising totals ahead of the May 24 special election, but they both have the ability to self-fund a campaign, and Davis has pledged to spend as much as $3 million of his own money in the race.
"While I don't have an ability to pull a check for $3 million or $5 million out of my pocket the way both my opponents have, I think that again it shows a contrast that there are people that support me for the right reasons, and I feel very confident about that," said Hochul. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is still assessing the race and deciding whether they will commit resources, but Hochul said their process isn't affecting her decision-making. "Clearly our race is full steam ahead independent of any thoughts in Washington. I think the ability to raise $350,000, to have the support of the people up here, that's what counts most to me," she said. "I certainly cannot be accused of being anyone's handpicked candidate at this point. Certainly if people want to help me, they're welcome, but that has not held us back one bit. We're moving forward very rapidly."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/04/democrat-hochul-raises-350k-for-ny-26-special-election-13