NEW YORK CITY — City Council Speaker Christine Quinn continues to pad her campaign coffers, and is now raising cash to spend after the mayoral primary, records show.
The mayoral front-runner raised approximately $697,571 from 1,335 contributors over the past sixth months, and now has over $5 million cash in her war chest, her campaign spokesman Josh Isay said.
When combined with public matching funds, that's more than the $6.4 million she will be allowed to spend in what is expected to be a cutthroat primary, and leaves her with $2.4 million for the general election or a potential run-off with a fellow Democrat, more than a year before election day.
Despite the impressive sum, Quinn again trailed fellow contender, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who raised more than $800,000 over the past six month, his campaign said.
“Thanks to all those who helped!" his campaign tweeted Friday.
Meanwhile, Comptroller John Liu, whose campaign remains under federal investigation for alleged campaign finance fraud, continued to rake in contributions, raising $579,000 over the past six months, his campaign spokesman said. While that's similar to his previous six months of fundraising, it's far less than the nearly $1 million dollars he collected before news of the investigation began dominating headlines.
"I am deeply moved and gratified by the faith and support shown by so many voters and supporters," Liu said in a statement Friday.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and former Comptroller Bill Thompson, two of the other contenders, are expected to file their paperwork with the city's campaign finance board Monday.
Manhattan Media publisher and long-shot candidate Tom Allon's campaign also said it had reached its goal with more than $250,000 "raised and pledged to date."
"With a surge in fundraising in the past two months, we are now on a trajectory to raise $2.5 million, including matching funds, in the next cycle,” Allon said in a statement. "My campaign is well on its way to being a very competitive one in 2013."
Meanwhile, disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner, who was forced to step down after accidentally tweeting pictures of his scantily-clad nether regions, still maintains a mayoral campaign account, which saw a spike in spending over the past six months on expenses, including phone bills and office rent, according to the filings — suggesting that he might yet be considering a run.
Once thought to be a front-runner in the race, Weiner already has nearly than $4.5 million cash on-hand, more than anyone except for Quinn.
In addition to the mayoral race, other contenders have also been racking up impressive fundraising totals, including former Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin, who has now raised $956,000 — more than she is allowed to spend in the primary for Manhattan Borough President, when combined with public matching funds — and Community Board 4 Chair Corey Johnson, who raised $167,000 over the past sixth months to run for Quinn's City Council seat, the filings show.
