Some Nassau Democrats grumbling over back-to-back fundraisers

Some Nassau Democrats are privately grumbling about County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs’ scheduling of back-to-back fundraisers for local State Senate candidates and for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton this week.

Critics argue that the Clinton event Wednesday night in Glen Cove will draw donations away from the county committee dinner in Westbury Tuesday night. Jacobs disagrees, saying the different events generally attract different contributors.

On Tuesday, Jacobs and the Nassau County Democratic Committee are hosting the party’s annual fall dinner, honoring State Senate candidates at the Westbury Manor. Individual tickets are $350 while tables of 10 are $3,000.

The Clinton fundraiser, hosted by Jacobs and his wife Mindy, will feature a reception with Hillary’s husband, former president Bill Clinton. Jacobs has pledged to raise $500,000 at the event. Tickets are $2,700 per person, increasing to $100,000 to be designated a host of the event.

Jacobs said competing fundraisers are “a typical problem that you have every election year at this time. You’re always concerned about people being tapped out.”

However, he said, “Overwhelmingly the money that is coming in on the Clinton fundraiser is not money that would have otherwise gone to the party. I am sure there are some people who are overlapping. But I have not heard anyone say, ‘I’m going to go to one or the other. Which one would you like me to go to?’”