Zeldin trails Hochul by $10M in campaign cash, reports say

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul has $10 million more in her campaign war chest than Republican rival Lee Zeldin, according to newly filed reports — giving her a significant advantage as the race moves from the primaries to the general campaign.

Hochul, a Democrat, reported having $11.7 million in her campaign account — which is more than seven times the $1.57 million Zeldin had on hand, according to the state Board of Elections.

The totals were as of July 11, two weeks after Hochul and Zeldin won gubernatorial primaries.

The incumbent’s financial edge — on top of Democrats’ 2-1 voter enrollment advantage — will have important impacts as the campaign moves to the next stage, said veteran political consultant Bruce Gyory.

First, it gives Hochul a better chance to define the race and her opponent than the challenger. That might include spending money to highlight Zeldin’s stances on gun safety and abortion.

Second, it raises the question of whether big Republican donors will put money into the governor’s race in New York. Or will they look to New York congressional contests here and big races in other states?

“Zeldin is going to have to replenish his campaign reserves before he can spend on himself,” Gyory said. “So, I would describe this, to be fair, as this fundraising report paints Zeldin in a very precarious position. The question is: Will Democrats exploit the advantage before he can raise money?”

Zeldin’s campaign has said he’s raised $13 million for the election cycle. He spent the bulk of it fending off three challengers in the June 28 Republican primary, winning it with about 44% of the vote in a low-turnout election.

Zeldin has focused on crime and inflation in hopes of becoming the first Republican to win a statewide race in New York since 2002.

Hochul became governor in August, taking over after Andrew M. Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment accusations. Since then, she’s raised more than $34 million and spend about $23 million. She easily won a three-way Democratic primary for governor, taking two-thirds of the votes in what also was a low-turnout contest.

As the incumbent, Hochul’s campaign has focused on laws she’s approved on gun safety and abortion-rights laws — while criticizing Zeldin on those issues — as well as grants provided in the state budget.

Democrats also have an advantage in party fundraising, which is typical in New York.

The new reports showed the state Democratic Party has $376,000 in reserve as of mid-July, compared with $81,000 for the GOP.

Hochul’s biggest donors in the last month include Unite Here, a group that represents hotel, gaming and airport workers, which gave $50,000, and Benedict Morelli, a high-profile personal-injury attorney, who gave $50,000.

Zeldin’s biggest donors included Ryan Salame, a cryptocurrency executive, $61,000, and Home Depot founder and major GOP donor Kenneth Langone, $36,000.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy