Dems outraise, outspend GOP in most North Shore races

Rose Weldon
Candidates for legislative races on the North Shore raised a collective $2,502,970.48 in donations for the 2020 elections. (Chart by Rose Weldon)

Democratic candidates outraised and outspent their Republican opponents in all but one legislative race across the North Shore, according to documents and data from the Federal Election Commission and the New York State Board of Elections’ campaign financial disclosures.

In total, candidates for five congressional and state legislature races on the North Shore raised $2,502,970.48 in donations and spent $3,334,497.62.

The campaign of U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) of the 3rd Congressional District raised and spent the most, with a total of $1,326,183.94 raised from donors and $1,888,037.74 in total disbursements and expenses.

State Sen. Anna Kaplan’s (D-Great Neck) campaign for re-election in the 7th Senate District raised the second most, with $495,138.84, and U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice’s (D-Garden City) campaign in the 4th Congressional District spent the second most at $1,025,379.52.

The Kaplan campaign also raised and spent ($80,075.84) the most of any of the state Legislature races examined, followed by the Democratic campaign of Gina Sillitti of Manorhaven in the 16th Assembly District, which raised $73,062 and spent $16,898.58; and that of Assemblyman Edward Ra (R-Garden City) in the 19th Assembly District, raising $47,450 and spending $15,984.01.

Ra’s race was also the only one of the five where the Republican candidate outraised and outspent the Democratic candidate, with the campaign of his opponent, attorney and retired Army Lt. Col. Gary Port of West Hempstead, being listed as having raised $1,535 and spent $34.

Sillitti’s GOP opponent, small-business owner Ragini Srivastava of Manhasset Hills, was listed as having raised $15,571.92 and spent $3,680.04, and David Franklin of Port Washington, opposing Kaplan, is listed as having raised $29,416.45 and spent $21,186.32.

The two Republican challengers for Congressional races were seen to have raised the most among the GOP candidates. Financial professional George Santos of Queens, challenging Suozzi, was listed as having raised $100,977 and spent $216,699.09, the most of the Republican candidates examined.

Town of Hempstead Engineering Commissioner Douglas Tuman of West Hempstead, opposing Rice, is listed as having raised $51,945.83 and spent $66,532.48.

Among the candidates, Kaplan received the most donations from law enforcement organizations and their associated political action committees, receiving a total of $12,500 from donors like the Nassau County Police Department’s Superior Officers Association, the Police Benevolent Association of NYC PAC, and the New York State Troopers PAC, among others. Her opponent, Franklin, is listed as receiving $100 from one such organization, the Superior Officers Association of the Nassau County Police Department’s Public Education Corp. Ra received the second most from such organizations with $5,650.

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