Filings: Cuomo has $14.4M campaign chest

ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo raised $6.2 million in the last half of 2011, bringing his campaign war chest to $14.4 million nearly three years ahead of the next election, according to campaign-finance filings posted Tuesday.

The Democratic governor's campaign committee began the period with more than $9 million on hand and spent $1 million during the period.

Cuomo's largest contributor was the corporate law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman Llp, which gave $100,000. It is a national firm with an office in New York and six other cities.

Bill Mahoney, legislative operations and research coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group, said Cuomo raised nearly twice as much in his first year in office as did former Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans -- thanks to big donations from same-sex marriage advocates -- raised $3 million and have $4.8 million cash on hand as they head into an election cycle. The GOP holds a 32-29 advantage, with one vacancy, in the Senate.

Their fundraising "significantly tilts the playing field in our direction for 2012," said Scott Reif, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre).

While most Senate Republicans voted against same-sex-marriage legislation last summer, they benefited by allowing the vote to take place. Four backers of the legislation made large donations.

Senate Democrats raised $1 million through their campaign committee and have cash on hand of $200,000. However, they are burdened with a $1.7 million bank loan.Committee chairman Mike Gianaris (D-Queens) said in a statement that fundraising had exceeded all expectations "as we continue our inevitable march toward recapturing the majority in this year's elections."