Andrew Cuomo reports $33M on hand for re-election

ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo reported having $33.3 million in campaign cash yesterday as he heads into an election year.

The Democratic governor raised $7 million since the last report in July and spent $1.5 million, the state Board of Elections filing showed. The hefty campaign war chest underscores Cuomo's strong position to run a campaign for a second term.

It's not clear who the Republican candidate will be in November. Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino has said he'll make a decision on whether to run in the next two months.

State party chairman Ed Cox took the unusual step this week of sending a letter to fellow Republicans in New York urging them to resist any overtures from the Cuomo administration to cross party lines and support the governor. However, former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato told the New York Post Wednesday he was backing Cuomo's re-election.

In another campaign finance filing Wednesday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone raised $331,433 during the last reporting cycle, giving him a balance of $905,869. Bellone, a Democrat from Babylon, is up for re-election in 2015.With David Schwartz