Jeff Klein spent more than $3M in NYS Senate primary loss

Former IDC leader spent eight times more than his opponent, according to campaign filings

Mark Lungariello
Rockland/Westchester Journal News

Influential State Sen. Jeff Klein was taken out by Alessandra Biaggi in a Democratic Party primary last month, despite spending nine times more than her during the campaign.

Overall spending for the race topped $3 million this year – with Klein’s campaign alone exceeding $2.7 million, according to disclosures filed with the state Board of Elections.

Klein spent over $3 million this election cycle, when factoring in almost $370,000 he spent in 2017. Biaggi didn't formally launch her campaign until January 2018.

Those are large numbers for a state Senate election, particularly a primary. Klein’s spending not only dwarfed the nearly $333,000 spent by Biaggi but was more than the almost $2.3 million actress Cynthia Nixon’s campaign spent in a statewide primary against incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to filings.

Alessandra Biaggi speaks with reporters at the Bronx Ale House, Sept. 13, 2018.

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He has also spent more than the $1.3 million Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro has spent to date in his bid to unseat Cuomo according to filings.

Klein has long represented the Senate’s 34th District, which includes parts of the Bronx and southern Westchester County. He faced backlash within his party for his role as leader of a breakaway faction of Democrats that shared power with Republicans to control the Senate for several years.

All eight former members of the Independent Democratic Conference saw primary challenges and all lost their races but two, Rockland County’s David Carlucci and Staten Island’s Diane Savino.

Biaggi, 32, of Pelham, is the granddaughter of former U.S. Rep. Mario Biaggi who worked in the governor’s office and on the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. She must still win the general election in November, but she’s considered the easy favorite in the 34th District, which is overwhelmingly Democratic.

MAP: 34th Senate District

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UPDATE: This story was updated to reflect the money spent by the Jeff Klein campaign in 2017.