Both Scott Murphy and Chris Gibson's campaigns say they have reason to cheer about their latest campaign finance filings.
Murphy outraised Gibson by nearly $65,000 from July 1 to Aug. 25 and now has a lead of about $900,000 in cash on hand.
However, Gibson's campaign says he raised more from individuals, more from within the state and district, and more than any other challenger for a New York congressional seat.
Murphy, a Glens Falls Democrat who represents New York's 20th Congressional District, raised $324,749.60 during this period and closed with $1.45 million in cash on hand, according to his latest report filed with the Federal Election Commission. He got about $141,000 from political action committees and started the reporting period with $1.33 million.
Gibson, a retired Army colonel from Kinderhook running on the Republican line, raised $261,936.42 and closed with $526,334.46. He got $17,046.30 from PACs and $6,000 from political party committees, and he started the reporting period with $452,795.94 in cash on hand.
"After raising more than $4.4 million since the beginning of last year from about 8300 contributors, Scott is still seeing strong support for his campaign," Murphy spokesman Josh Schwerin said in a press release. "This has given our campaign the ability to communicate our message and puts Scott in a dominant financial position heading into the home stretch. There is a clear difference in the two candidates. Scott is using his experience as a businessman to fight for small businesses and middle class families, while Chris Gibson would rather protect corporations shipping American jobs overseas and saddle our children with $700 billion in additional debt so he can give tax breaks to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett."
"This filing highlights the appeal of our message of removing impediments to private sector growth and stopping reckless spending in Washington," Gibson said in a statement. "It shows that the more we communicate with voters in the district, the more support we get and more people see our campaign as a way to restore their future. ... This reflects the people I hear from every day on my visits throughout the district who feel that my opponent is not listening to their concerns and voted against our wishes. My first priority will be to listen to the voters here and to work to stand up for their concerns in Washington, not to represent the interest groups and entrenched congressional leaders supporting my opponent."
The race between Murphy and Gibson is widely expected to be close. Gibson was named one of the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" last week. The New York Times district profile recently moved it back to "leaning Democratic;" it had been rated as "toss-up" for a while.
Murphy visited the area last week, attending events in Lake Placid, Keene and North Hudson, and Gibson is scheduled to visit Lake Placid Tuesday, touring Adirondack Medical Center-Uihlein and then holding a meet-and-greet event at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery at 6 p.m.
Murphy's biggest PAC supporters have been General Electric and Pricewaterhouse Coopers PAC, which have given him $11,000 to date; and Walmart and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which have each given him $12,500. Boeing, the Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Goldman Sachs, KPMG Partners/Principals and Employees, Deutsche Bank Americas/Taunus Corporation, Democrats Win Seats and the National Association of Credit Unions, have each given him $10,000 to date in this election cycle.
Gibson has gotten $5,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee. His biggest PAC supporters have been the AGC PAC, Every Republican is Crucial, and Associated Builders and Contractors, each of which have given him $5,000 to date this election cycle. He has also gotten $1,000 from Sayward for Assembly, state Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, R-Willsboro's group. Sayward's Assembly district is mostly within the 20th, although part of it (including her residence in Willsboro) is in the neighboring 23rd District.
The 20th stretches from Saranac Lake and Lake Placid to the outskirts of Poughkeepsie and Cooperstown, and the overwhelming majority of the in-district donors to both candidates are from Warren County and south. In Essex County, Gibson has gotten $250 from John Kelly of Schroon Lake, and Murphy has gotten $1,850 from Thaddeus J. Zelski of Keene, $1,000 from Joel Friedman of Schroon Lake, $275 from Christopher Breiseth of Ticonderoga and $250 from Christopher McFadden of Lake Placid.
A number of people have donated to both candidates, according to the website of the Post-Star of Glens Falls. These include William Dake of Saratoga Springs, chairman of Stewart's Shops; Daniel Burke of Queensbury, regional president of NBT Bank; and David Kruczlnicki, president and CEO of Glens Falls Hospital.
