Dana Balter not only had the best fundraising quarter for a Syracuse-area congressional candidate, she raked in $1 million more than Republican U.S. Rep. John Katko in the 24th district race.Ā
Federal Election Commission filings show Balter, D-Syracuse, raised $1,545,314.10 in the third quarter of 2018. Individual contributions accounted for nearly 87 percent of her total receipts. She collected an additional $117,282.36 from political action committees and other groups, and $86,000 was transferred to her campaign from two joint fundraising committees.
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Katko, R-Camillus, raised $481,592.02 during the quarter. Thirty percent of the money given to his campaign came from individual donors. He received $243,385 from PACs and other committees. Protect the House, a joint fundraising committee led by Vice President Mike Pence and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, transferred $90,781.01 to the GOP congressman's campaign.
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NY-24 Campaign Finance Breakdown: Q3 2018 | ||
Category | Dana Balter | John Katko |
Individual contributions | $1,342,031.74 | $147,404.99 |
PACs/other committees | $117,282.36 | $243,385.90 |
Total receipts | $1,545,314.10 | $481,592.02 |
Total disbursements | $772,056.12 | $1,160,641.64 |
Cash on hand | $885,696.20 | $930,010.20 |
Entering the third quarter, Katko had a sizable financial advantage. He had nearly $1.5 million more than Balter. But with Balter's record-setting performance, she has closed the gap. Katko ended the quarter with $930,010.20 cash on hand. Balter's closing balance was $885,696.20.Ā
Balter's campaign did report debts and obligations totaling $155,349.56. Most of that amount is owed to two firms for ad production.
While Katko was outraised, he spent more in the third quarter. His disbursements totaled $1,160,641.64. He spent most of his moneyĀ ā $854,761.35Ā ā on television ad production and placement. His campaign spent an additional $105,338 on online advertising.
Balter spent $772,056.12. Like Katko, her largest expenditure was media production and placement. The campaign reported spending $425,854.02 and ad buys and production.Ā
Notable donors
Both campaigns received significant financial support from outside the district.Ā
Katko received $5,000 from Kochpac, the political arm of Koch Industries operated by Charles and David Koch. The Kochs are prominent Republican donors.Ā
New Pioneers PAC, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden's political action committee, also donated $5,000 to Katko. Walden is the former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.Ā
U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry's Stand Tall America PAC gave $3,000 to Katko's re-election campaign. Thornberry, a Texas Republican, chairs the House Armed Services Committee.Ā
U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte and his wife Susan each contributed $2,700. Charles Schwab, chairman of Charles Schwab Corp., chipped in $2,700 to help Katko's campaign.Ā
Nucor PAC donated $2,500 to Katko. Nucor operates a steel mill in Auburn. Pence joined Katko for an event there in June.Ā
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise's campaign committee donated $2,000 to Katko's campaign. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik's E-PAC contributed $1,000.Ā
On the Democratic side, Balter received $14,000 from committees linked to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi's campaign gave $4,000 and her political action committee, PAC to the Future, donated $10,000.Ā
Balter collected $5,000 from the Onward Together Committee founded by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in 2016.Ā
Ameripac, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer's political action committee, donated $5,000 to Balter's campaign. American Federation of Teachers, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, EMILY's List, End Citizens United and the United Steelworkers Political Action Fund also contributed $5,000 each.Ā
Balter also received $5,000 from USA PAC, a political action committee led by U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff. Schiff, a California Democrat, is the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee.Ā
What's next?
Balter and Katko opened the fourth quarter with more than $1.8 million in the bank between them, and they will likely raise a lot more money before Election Day.Ā
Since Oct. 1, the first day of the quarter, the campaigns have continued to air new television commercials and paid for other forms of advertising. Katko has already spent more than $1.7 million on his re-election bid. Balter has over $1.1 million in disbursements, but some of that money was spent on the Democratic primary in June.Ā
Balter's fundraising performance has brought more attention to the race. Cook Political Report, one of the top election forecasters in the country, upgraded its race rating from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican." With Balter outraising Katko by more than $1 million, it's possible other election forecasters will follow and update the race ratings.Ā
The last public poll released in late August found Katko leading by 15 points, 54 to 39 percent, over Balter. Based on the level of spending, it's possible that gap has narrowed. Siena College will likely conduct another poll before the election, but hasn't announced when that might be released.Ā
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.Ā