Stefanik raises large campaign amount

April 18--PLATTSBURGH -- With an election more than a year away, incumbent Congresswoman Elise Stefanik continues to add to her campaign war chest.

Stefanik (R-Willsboro) reported a first-quarter fundraising total of more than $270,000 for 2017.

Her total re-election fund now sits at $691,141, far surpassing the amount raised by the only other candidate who has officially entered the race: Democrat Patrick Nelson.

"While I remain focused on listening to constituents and on addressing a full array of legislative challenges affecting our district, I'm grateful for the strong campaign support across the North Country," Stefanik said in a statement.

"Supporters in each of our 12 counties know I will continue the hard work of making Washington work for our small businesses, our veterans, our farmers and for our families."

Stefanik received campaign donations from each of the 12 counties in New York's 21st Congressional District.

She was first elected in 2014 at the age of 30, the youngest woman ever to win a seat in Congress, when she defeated Democrat Aaron Woolf of Elizabethtown and Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello of Glens Falls.

Stefanik won re-election last year, defeating Democrat Mike Derrick of Peru and Funiciello again.

BUILDING CAMPAIGN

Nelson, who is from Stillwater at the very southeastern edge of the 21st District, is seeking his party's nomination to challenge Stefanik next year. The 27-year-old works for State Assemblyman Phillip Steck of the 110th District.

Nelson raised about $5,600 in the first quarter of this year. He said he has raised more than $7,000 altogether and has about $4,200 on hand.

His campaign is building a model that will enable them to raise more money as the campaign goes along, he said.

"We are growing our donor base, and we are getting a lot of support," Nelson said.

"Going forward, we will have a fundraising machine that will be successful."

Nelson said he plans to raise money by talking about his ideas and convincing people to back his agenda.

SPECIAL INTERESTS

He supports publicly funded campaigns where both candidates have an equal amount to spend.

"If we both had the same amount, then our skills would be measured by how well we can manage scarce resources," he said.

Nelson is not surprised Stefanik has raised such a large amount, he said, given her ties to "Wall Street, big business and the Washington establishment."

"She can raise a lot of money, but they (special interests) are going to expect she will continue to support their failed special interests that have threatened our environment and our security," he said.

POSITION ON HEALTH PLAN

He said Stefanik's refusal to say how she would have voted on the GOP's proposed American Health Care Act last month was an example of poor leadership.

The health plan was pulled before a vote could be held when Republicans realized it wasn't going to pass.

"She can raise a lot of money, but when 85,000 of the people in the district had their lives on the line, she was nowhere to be found," he said.

"It is unbecoming of the North Country not to take a position. We believe in standing up and saying what you believe."

CASH COUNTS

Money won't be the only obstacle that Nelson or any other candidate who challenges Stefanik next year will face. Republicans hold an advantage in voter registration of about 50,000 voters in the 12-county district.

But cash is key, according to SUNY Plattsburgh political science professor Dr. Harvey Schantz.

"In many ways, challenger spending is more crucial than spending by the incumbent," Schantz said.

"Incumbents are already widely known across the district. But a challenger needs media spending in order to increase name recognition among the voters."

SOURCE OF FUNDS

Stefanik was able to raise significant money from the defense and health-insurance industry, according to federal filings.

She received a total of $41,500 from defense contractors in the first quarter and $11,500 from health-care interests.

Schantz said that is standard in Washington.

"In order to maintain access to key legislators, corporate and trade PACs (political action committees) strategically donate their campaign funds to incumbent legislators, especially those who occupy posts on congressional committees that deal with legislation important to their organization's interests," he said.

Stefanik is chair of the House Defense Committee subcommittee that oversees counter-terrorism programs.

Her vote on the health-insurance bill was also seen as crucial, drawing interest from people in the health-care field.

UNDER 2016 START

While Stefanik's campaign cash numbers continue to dominate the race, they are a bit lower than the start of last year, with 2017 being an off election year.

Her total of about $270,000 this first quarter was less than the $332,921 she raised in 2016 and the $304,000 in 2015.

Despite the drop in her fundraising, Stefanik has a much larger war chest now than at this juncture two years ago, Schantz said.

She began the 2017-18 election cycle with $542,189 cash on hand, as compared to only $22,557 two years ago.

She raised about $3.15 million last cycle and spent about $2.63 million.

Her funds gave her a notable spending edge over Derrick, who spent $1.24 million on his campaign. She won the election with 61 percent of the vote.

Funiciello was way behind, spending only $15,013, down by more than half from 2014.

2017 SPENDING

So far in this election cycle Stefanik reports spending $121,250, while Nelson has shelled out $1,489.

"Money is an important advantage in a congressional election because it buys television advertising and pays for campaign personnel," Schantz said.

"But money is not always the determining factor in House races. In 2016, for example, in the nearby 19th District, Democratic Party candidate Zephyr Teachout outspent Republican John Faso by $5 million to $2.9 million but still lost the election."

Email Joe LoTemplio:

[email protected]

Twitter: @jlotemplio

___

(c)2017 the Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, N.Y.)

Visit the Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) at pressrepublican.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.