Report: Lazio has less than $700G in campaign treasury

Rick Lazio, the Republican designee for governor, has less than $700,000 in his campaign treasury, while primary challenger Carl Paladino and Democrat Andrew Cuomo each have millions of dollars to spend.

Lazio's weak position was revealed Friday in campaign finance documents posted on the state Board of Elections website.

They show the former congressman from Suffolk raised $1.7 million from mid-January to this week, including a last-minute, $200,000 loan from his personal bank account. He spent $1.6 million and has $688,822 left - barely more than he had last winter.

Paladino, a Buffalo real estate developer, and Cuomo, the state attorney general, each spent about the same amount as Lazio. But Paladino tapped his own checkbook for $1.65 million in the past six months and vowed to spend another $8.35 million.

Cuomo raised $9.3 million and has $23.6 million left - more than any gubernatorial candidate in recent New York history, according to the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Lazio's poor showing stunned experts.

"The money race is over and Lazio clearly lost," said Douglas Muzzio, a political scientist at Baruch College/CUNY in Manhattan. "The question now is can he hold onto the Republican line against Carl Paladino, and if he does, how does he compete against both Cuomo and Paladino in November?"

Lazio spokesman Barney Keller was upbeat, noting the number of contributions grew after the state GOP convention in early June when Lazio beat Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy for the party designation.

Keller said fundraisers were planned for the next month, though he couldn't provide a number. "The campaign has new energy . . . we expect the increase in contributions to continue," he added.

Levy, in his brief bid for the Republican nomination, raised little and spent $279,115. As a result, his financial position ahead of next year's county executive race is strong.

Levy's gubernatorial campaign fund, Levy For New York, received a $1.3 million infusion from his county executive fund, Friends of Steve Levy. Levy for New York had $40,294 in contributions; the largest were $10,000 each from Andrea Catsimatidis, the supermarket heiress engaged to Republican congressional candidate Chris Cox, and Manhattan real estate executive George S. Kauffman.

However, Friends of Steve Levy continued to be a money machine, bringing in almost $500,000 since mid-January while keeping expenses relatively low. As a result, Levy's two funds total $4.1 million - $3,422 more than he had in January.

Separately, Gov. David A. Paterson used $700,000 from his campaign treasury to pay legal bills arising from probes into his alleged interference into a domestic violence case involving aide David W. Johnson, accepting free tickets to a 2009 World Series game and awarding a gambling machine contract at Aqueduct racetrack. The domestic violence case forced Paterson to drop his election bid in February.

He also paid $166,720 for public relations and crisis management help and refunded $638,000 to campaign donors.

CAMPAIGN CASH

In the race for New York governor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo has raised far more money in the past six months than Republican designee Rick Lazio and his challenger Carl Paladino. Here's how they stack up:

Andrew Cuomo, Democratic designee

Raised in the past six months: $9.3 million

Spent in the past six months: $1.75 million

Cash on hand: $23.6 million

Rick Lazio, Republican designee

Raised in the past six months: $1.7 million*

Spent in the past six months: $1.6 million

Cash on hand: $688,822

Carl Paladino, mounting a primary bid to Lazio and will run on a new ballot line

Raised in the past six months: $1.8 million**

Spent in the past six months: $1.7 million

Cash on hand: $52,823***

Notes:*Includes $200,000 personal loan from Lazio.

**Includes $1.65 million personal loan from Paladino.

***Paladino has vowed to spend $10 million of his own money on the campaign

- Compiled by James T. Madore

Source: NYS Board of Elections