House GOP race is highly financed and hotly contested

Businessman Randy Altschuler has the biggest pile of campaign cash as the three-way race for the GOP nomination to face Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) nears an end, according to campaign finance reports for July and most of August.

With so much money being spent in the hottest House race on Long Island, East End residents will be awash in mail and broadcast ads until the Sept. 14 GOP primary.

"We have been up on TV virtually nonstop since the end of last December," Altschuler spokesman Rob Ryan said.

Altschuler's rivals, the politically connected Chris Cox and former SEC attorney George Demos, said they've also ponied up for an air war.

After sinking $2 million into his campaign, Altschuler still has $1.1 million to spend on the primary, despite buying about $400,000 in direct mail and radio, TV and newspaper ads in the past two months alone.

He raised $57,500 in July and August. Donors included Bed Bath & Beyond chairman Leonard Feinstein of Farmingdale.

Cox, Richard Nixon's grandson and son of state GOP chief Ed Cox, boasted in an e-mail he raised $103,140, twice as much as Altschuler. Donors include former Vice President Dan Quayle and William Koch, who bankrolls conservative causes.

But Cox has just $160,000 in primary cash after spending about $225,000 on radio, TV, newspaper and Internet ads and direct mailing.

Demos spent $160,000 on media buys. He raised $33,280 and is down to $43,000 in primary cash. But he said he's got more than enough cash to keep blasting Altschuler.

In the New York Republican gubernatorial primary, former Rep. Rick Lazio, the party designee, had not filed disclosure forms as of 8 p.m. Friday and an aide did not provide details despite requests. Lazio had $600,317 on Aug. 9.

Carl Paladino emptied his campaign treasury, reporting a deficit of $567 for the 20-day period ended Aug. 30. However, campaign manager Michael Caputo said the millionaire from Buffalo would spend what it takes to win. Paladino raised $333,624 in the period - $220,000 from his bank account - and spent $484,379.

Among the Democrats vying for state attorney general, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice leads with the most cash on hand: $2.8 million. She raised $279,939 in the 20-day period and spent $1.9 million.

Sean Coffey, a former federal prosecutor, has $1.6 million left after spending $2.6 million and loaning his campaign another $1 million. Eric Dinallo, a former state insurance superintendent, also has $1.6 million after spending $52,642 and raising $66,909.

State Sen. Eric Schneiderman has $1.3 million on hand after spending $1.5 million and raising $648,463. Assemb. Richard Brodsky has $335,494 after spending $1.3 million in the period and raising $99,000.