News

Who’s got the campaign cash?

Senator was gearing for a fight

Regina Calcaterra’s name may not appear on the ballot opposite state Senator Ken LaValle’s this November, but the Democratic hopeful still forced the longtime incumbent into action this year.

With the threat of having to run his first aggressive campaign in years, financial disclosure reports filed in July show Mr. LaValle, 71, ramped up his fundraising efforts in 2010. The Republican from Port Jefferson doubled his available funds from two years ago, when he ran unopposed for his 17th term in office.

Mr. LaValle raised $107,000 over the first six months of 2010 to increase his total war chest to $269,500. It was the first time this decade that the senator had raised six figures in the first six months of an election year.

Ms. Calcaterra, meanwhile, will have to decide what to do with the nearly $140,000 in her coffers after a judge found she had not been a New York resident for the required five consecutive years immediately preceding the election. The New Suffolk attorney raised more than $295,000 since she began fundraising last July.

While she spent nearly half of what she raised on campaign expenses, a disclosure report filed this week shows Ms. Calcaterra was forced to cough up more than $29,000 in legal expenses last month in an attempt to keep her candidacy alive.

A rundown of congressional hopefuls

The biggest question so far this campaign season is over which candidate will receive the GOP nomination to oppose Congressman Tim Bishop, a Democrat from Southampton.

While a primary is still a month away, financial disclosure reports filed at the end of June show Republican hopeful Randy Altschuler had the most cash on hand to wage a challenge. Mr. Altschuler had about $1.8 million cash in his coffers, with more than $1.5 million in debt.

Chris Cox, considered by many to be the favorite to earn the GOP nod, had just under $840,000 on hand, but his campaign had racked up more than $1 million in debt.

A third candidate, George Demos, had no debt, but his disclosure report shows he raised just $300,000.

Mr. Altschuler had spent just over $1 million by the end of June on his campaign, more than the other two GOP hopefuls combined.

Mr. Bishop, meanwhile, had nearly $1.5 million cash on hand with no debt, as he seeks a fifth term in office. He’s spent over $500,000 this election cycle.

The Republican primary will be held Sept. 14.

A quiet challenger for Assembly seat

By mid-July, Suffolk County Legislator Dan Losquadro had raised just $16,000 this year in his bid to unseat incumbent Assemblyman Marc Alessi, his financial disclosure report filed July 15 shows. Having spent more than $20,000 in the first six months of 2010, the Republican from Shoreham had just $13,000 on hand. His total campaign funds were down more than $38,000 from a year ago, when he ran his most recent re-election campaign for county Legislature.

Mr. Alessi, also of Shoreham, showed more than $50,000 available to his campaign, having raised about $15,000 this year.

[email protected]