New York State of Money
New York State of Money
The journey to victory will be competitive, elongated, and expensive
As congressional lawmakers prepare their campaigns for the next election cycle in 2024, many have already hit the ground running fundraising for dollars. While some may focus on the presidential election in key battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, or New Hampshire, look no further than New York.
Raising money for congressional candidates will likely shift to the Empire State, especially since some top-named Democrats are Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Notably, Jeffries and AOC have gained a massive campaign war chest. According to the latest first-quarter FEC filings, Jeffries landed a comfortable yet hefty $3,676,281. Meanwhile, AOC was able to capitalize on $1,268,221. It's worth noting Jeffries has raised most of his money via campaign committee donations, while AOC has relied chiefly on small-dollar contributors.
This would allow both lawmakers to spread the wealth to other members in the House Democratic Caucus. Jeffries, for example, has been known for being "a prodigious fundraiser," said New York strategist Jon Reinish to the New York Post. "And that's exactly what the Democratic Party in New York needs right now." He believes Jeffries can take his responsibility seriously in distributing money.
Across the party aisle, Republican House Conference Chair Elise Stefanik was able to rack up over $1,117,318. Freshman lawmakers like Reps. Mike Lawler, Anthony D'Esposito, and Marcus Molinaro also raised over $500,000. Already political action committees (PACs) are not wasting time putting cash into several campaigns throughout the state, regardless if certain districts are to be marked as toss-ups. For example, D'Esposito's camp for the 4th Congressional District had $304,649 in contributions from PACs, with $215,852 raised from individual contributions. $2,900 also came from the conservative Club for Growth. Meanwhile, in Lawler's camp for the 17th Congressional District, contributions from PACs were $365,000, while individuals were $205,312.
Protect the House New York is a new NRCC joint fundraising committee that will support many of the early-term Republican representatives, all except for Santos. The infamous George Santos came in dead last, coughing up only $5,333, despite his announcement to run for re-election. As a result, amongst other controversies, he won't be going to get the party's financial help to run a campaign.
It's a good chance that Republicans may not have gained the majority control they do in the current makeup of the House of Representatives had it not been for former congressman Lee Zeldin who ran a hard-fought gubernatorial campaign against Kathy Hochul in 2022. Moreover, many of the districts now held by the first-term Republican lawmakers were previously Democratic-leaning.
A few months back in March, he sat for an interview with local News 12's Rich Barrabi. Asked, "If Republicans don't reach into communities where maybe they haven't in the past as you suggest? Can the GOP win a nationwide race, say in a presidential race 2024?" Zeldin responded, "No, and they shouldn't. These votes are earned."
Suppose Republicans are committed to keeping their majority. In that case, they must be willing to greet voters in blue communities tackling common sense issues that affect everyone, not only in New York but nationwide too. Zeldin has shown to be a prime example for many Republicans who want to understand how to be effective in traditionally Democratic areas.
While not out of politics entirely, Zeldin has made a new PAC called Leadership America Needs, which will continue to support five freshmen House members who brought the Republican majority to Washington. Despite the new lawmakers having a political target on their backs, Zeldin is committed to assisting them with their re-election efforts.
Given both parties' financial and political circumstances, the journey to victory in New York will be competitive, elongated, and expensive. While there is still time before November 2024, time itself will only tell us how this new era of New York congressional politics will play out.