Congressional candidates show fund-raising muscle
Davis, Powers trade jabs on source of funds
It was “Fun With Numbers Day” on Wednesday for the candidates vying to succeed Thomas M. Reynolds in Congress, as some spun campaign treasury reports to underscore their financial strength heading into the primary and general elections.
On the day after campaign finance reports were due in Washington, Republican Christopher J. Lee showed the most impressive total with $636,460 on hand, which he raised since entering the race last spring.
That included $320,000 he loaned himself, backing up his promise to use “whatever it takes” of his personal funds to finance the race.
Alice J. Kryzan, an Amherst attorney, also showed she will prove to be a factor in the Democratic primary race by reporting $247,025 on hand; she loaned her campaign $157,000. Her filings with the Federal Elections Commission showed strong support from lawyers and law firms.
But an immediate squabble broke out between Democrats Jack Davis and Jon Powers, as each used filing day to criticize the other for the source of money and how it is being spent.
Davis, a Clarence industrialist who has vowed to spend $3 million of his own wealth in the campaign after dropping $3.6 million in two previous runs for Congress, reported $337,418 raised. All of that came from personal loans, none through donations.
Powers said he raised about $870,000, but has only $488,810 on hand.
Davis called Powers’ fundraising “disturbing” and made these claims:
• Powers has spent 50 percent of all the funds he’s raised without any advertising, adding that Powers spent 68 percent of all the money he raised this quarter alone.
• Powers’ in-district support accounts for only 7.5 percent of his total treasury, with 92.5 percent coming from donors from out-of-state (49 percent) and from other areas in New York, like New York City and its suburbs (44 percent).
• Powers has raised three times as much money from Washington political action committees ($187,175) than from individuals in the district, with PAC money accounting for 40 percent of the funds collected this quarter alone.
Davis, meanwhile, has pledged to take no money from PACs.
“Jon Powers is campaigning the same way he’ll govern; from outside New York and inside the pockets of the special interests,” Davis campaign spokeswoman Joy Langley said. “He’s an aspiring career politician and is the last safe harbor for the special interests in a sea-change election year.”
But Powers put his own spin on his numbers, pointing to 3,900 donors, with 67 percent giving $50 or less and 80 percent giving $100 or less. His campaign raised $272,000 in the second quarter, in his strongest reporting period to date.
“No one is supporting Jack Davis’ campaign except Jack Davis,” Powers spokeswoman Victoria Dillon said.
And as he has throughout his campaign, Powers contrasted his broad base of donors against Davis’ self-financing.
“Everyday Western New Yorkers are chipping in $25, $50 or $100 to bring real leadership and real change to Washington,” Powers said. “Our campaign has shown it can compete against millionaires. I am confident the voices of everyday Western New Yorkers will prevail over the dollars and political stunts of our opponents.”
Powers has spent $381,178 to date, and most of that money went to consultants and internal operations, with several thousand dollars going to travel in the last quarter alone.
Davis has spent his $302,154 on his share of consultants and headquarters expenses, but has also produced cable and radio commercials as well as several mailings to voters.
Still, Powers has also shown strong support from labor unions and other PACs allied with national Democrats, reflecting the help promised from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee when it included him in its “Red to Blue Program” that puts extra emphasis on Democratic candidates deemed as having a good chance to win in November
