Cuomo has $25M in campaign fund; Nixon has $441G on hand, records show
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon in undated photos. Credit: Getty Images / Drew Angerer
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had $24.4 million in his account as of Tuesday after spending more than $7.4 million in the last month, compared to a total campaign fund of $441,856 for his Democratic primary opponent, activist Cynthia Nixon.
Nixon spent $606,818 in the last month, according to the financial disclosure forms released through the state Board of Elections on Tuesday. The Democratic primary is Sept. 13.
In that time period, Cuomo raised $393,367 while Nixon raised $391,236.
Most of Nixon's contributions came in small donations of as little as $5. She said she has collected nearly $2 million so far this year through 42,960 individual contributions, rather than from large contributors.
"We are seeking a level of grass roots momentum that Cuomo has failed to tap into during his entire two decades in New York politics," said Nixon campaign manager Hayley Prim. "There is a real hunger in New York to elect a real progressive who is beholden to the people, not corporations and millionaires."
A few contributions came from Nixon's colleagues in the TV and film industry. They include $1,000 from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin; $5,000 from her former "Sex and the City" co-star Kristin Davis; $5,000 from actress and producer Rhea Perlman; $5,000 from actor and producer Danny DeVito; $250 from actor Wallace Shawn; and $1,500 from comedian, TV talk show host and author Chelsea Handler.
Cuomo, always a prodigious fundraiser, has already raised more than most of his previous opponents had in their entire campaigns.
His campaign spokeswoman, Abbey Fashouer, said the donations, including many for $5 each, show the governor's broad support.
Among Cuomo's fundraising was an event last month at a food service company at LaGuardia Airport. That day, Cuomo's campaign collected more than $85,100 from four donors, in addition to other contributions. The company, OTG Experience LLC, is one of Cuomo's major contributors and is benefiting from the state’s overhaul of LaGuardia Airport.
Fashouer said Delta airlines hired OTG, not any state entity. "No contribution of any size influences any government action," she said.
OTG, a manager and renovator of airports and airport amenities nationwide, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In July, Cuomo signed a law passed by the Legislature to make further improvements to LaGuardia as part of an $8 billion renovation to expand the airport and attract more flyers and visitors.
OTG Experience is one of the many companies created as a limited liability company, which aren’t subject to the $5,000 limit for corporate contributions under state election law.
Since 2011, OTG has contributed $145,000 to Cuomo’s campaigns, records show. In 2015, one of Cuomo's longtime top aides, former Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwartz, took a job with OTG as chief strategy officer.
Fashouer noted that OTG was operating in LaGuardia and JFK before the company hired Schwartz.
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Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
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