U.S. Congress Member Dan Donovan (R-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) and Democratic challenger Max Rose appear as clear fundraising frontrunners against their respective opponents in the lead up to the June 26 Congressional primaries, and could be looking at a real showdown come the Nov. 6 general election.
According to the Federal Election Commission’s recent round of fundraising figures, Donovan kicked off his re-election campaign to maintain his NY 11th Congressional District seat posted a healthy $390,337 for the last quarter. The amount gives Donovan a war chest of $718,766 to resist his primary challenger, former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm.
“I’m enormously gratified by the support we’ve received in our campaign,” said Donovan. “It’s the five or ten dollars from everyday New Yorkers that are the most meaningful to me, because those are the people who I am fighting for in Washington. They believe in our mission and are a part of the team that will lead us to victory in November.”
Grimm reported $176,139.90 for the last filing period that ended Dec. 31, 2017. Grimm, who spent time in federal custody for tax fraud, launched his campaign with the backing of ousted government aide, Steve Bannon.
On the Democratic side, Army war veteran Rose reported receiving $330,053.21 in contributions for this last period, solidifying him as a frontrunner in the Democratic pool of six. The candidate also leads his primary opponents in endorsements with nods from Congress Members Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Seth Moulton (D-MA), VoteVets and End Citizens United. The recent filings add $629,011 in his campaign arsenal.
“I’m immensely proud of the support our campaign has received since we launched back in August, especially since we have not taken a dime in corporate PAC money,” said Rose. “Michael Grimm and Dan Donovan had their chance to change Washington. They failed. Staten Islanders and South Brooklynites deserve to have a member of Congress with the courage to lead and the guts to fight like hell for the working and middle-class, consequences be damned – and that’s what I will do as our next congressman.”
Omar Vaid (D) followed Rose in the Democratic campaign finance battle. Vaid added $32,289 this past quarter to bring his total to $137,821.
“Watching the campaign gain steam over the last quarter, both in terms of dollars and volunteers, tells us Omar’s message is resonating deeply with the people of Staten Island and South Brooklyn,” said Vaid spokesperson Rachel Brody. “To have this level of first-time engagement from voters – of all kinds of political persuasions – sends a clear message: the people of NY-11 demand bold, real, engaged representation in Washington.”
Latecomer to the campaign finance portion of the race, Radhakrishna Mohan (D) added 11,768 this last quarter for a total of $61,842. Another Democratic contender, Michael DeCillis (D) raised $15,942 during the last filing period and although his reports are not yet available through the federal election commission, DeCillis said his campaign raised nearly $25,000 this round, which would bring the candidate to $40,000 contributions
Meanwhile, Zach Emig (D) and Michael DeVito, Jr. (D) battled for fifth place with Emig filing $31,359 in total contributions and DeVito close behind at $30,995. Records show no filings for the youngest candidate on the ballot, Paul Sperling.
