In East End congressional race, hopefuls raise $2 million

WASHINGTON - Republicans jockeying to run against Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop escalated the money race last quarter, raising a cumulative total of almost $2 million in campaign contributions - with most of it coming out of their own pockets.

With no consensus GOP challenger against the four-term incumbent Democrat from Southampton, the two top Republican hopefuls signaled in filing their campaign finance reports for the last three months that they are willing to engage in a campaign cash arms race.

The district on Long Island's East End is awash in political money - the four potential challengers and Bishop raised $2.2 million in the past three months and now have $3.7 million in cash on hand with more than six months to go before the November election.

Businessman Randy Altschuler led the pack, reporting that he raised $1 million in the last three months, though $860,000 came in the form of a personal loan, and now has $1.5 million in cash on hand.

"It's extremely significant when you are running in a field of six or seven Republicans that your cash on hand balance is more than all the other canddiates combined," said Altschuler spokesman Rob Ryan.

Not to be outdone, the politically connected Chris Cox raised $735,000 in the two months since he announced running, though $500,000 of that was his loan, and had about $620,000 in the bank, according to an aide.

Cox, son of state GOP chairman Edward Cox, raised the most in individual contributions of any candidate in the district, including Bishop and Altschuler, his aide said.

George Demos raised $125,323 and had $303,880 in cash, which in any other district would be a substantial war chest for a challenger this early in the season.

Grassroots candidate Gary Berntsen raised $56,500, but about a quarter was from his own pocket and he had only $29,600 in the bank.

Meanwhile, Bishop continues to build up his own campaign cash reserves, with plenty of help of his party leadership and supportive political action committees, which contributed $143,850 of his total $326,280 in contributions.

Bishop has $1.2 million in cash on hand, according to his report.

Bishop has seen a return of Democratic enthusiasm since Congress passed the health bill, as shown by a surge in small donations, his aide Jon Schneider said yesterday.

Schneider conceded Bishop might be outspent in the fall.

But he took at shot at Cox and Altschuler, saying, "The Republican nomination process looks like more like a trust-fund baby and an outsourcing millionaire trying to outbid each at a Southeby's auction."