The Scouts’ motto is “Be Prepared” and you’d think that would also fit for someone running for New York’s Senate seat when it comes to campaign funds. Particularly if he’s a millionaire. But when it comes to Tea Party movement favorite and GOP candidate for Senate Carl Paladino..NOT!
Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino’s campaign is running on empty, according to new numbers released Friday.
Paladino has just $131,000 to spend in the run-up to Nov. 2, according to his latest financial disclosure report filed with the State Board of Elections.
Democratic challenger Andrew Cuomo, who is far ahead in the latest polls, has nearly $12 million on hand, according to his campaign.
Is this cosmic payback for how many Democrats running for office are now finding themselves out big bucked by money pouring in to defeat them from independent Republican groups?
Since the last filing date, Paladino has taken in nearly $1.8 million. But records show that he lent his own campaign half of that, giving two separate donations — one of $500,000 last Wednesday and another $400,000 Thursday
Over the same period, he spent about $80,000 more than he raised.
The Cuomo campaign, meanwhile, reported having taken in over $2 million and having spent over $10 million since Oct. 2.
It’s also pretty clear that deep pocket GOPers and groups won’t be rushing to Paladino’s rescue since he’s down so far in the polls (60 percent Cuomo 37 percent Paladino) he can see a sign that reads SOUTH POLE.
Stay tuned (although with this funding disparity, if you’re watching in New York state you’re more likely to see a Cuomo ad.).
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.