Spitzer’s $10.7 Million War Chest Lined With Celebrities’ Contributions
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
ALBANY — Actors Ben Affleck and Judd Hirsch, entertainer Barbra Streisand, a hair guru, Vidal Sassoon and the Eagles’s frontman, Don Henley, are among those who helped Democrat Eliot Spitzer raise $10.7 million for his governor’s campaign in the last six months.
Mr. Henley, a longtime supporter of Mr. Spitzer, led the California entertainment headliners with a $10,000 contribution. Mr. Affleck, Ms. Streisand, and Mr. Sassoon each gave $1,000 and Mr. Hirsch, currently costarring in the CBS crime drama “Numb3rs,” gave $150.
Other major contributors included Manhattan philanthropists and Albany lobbyists. The Featherstonhaugh, Wiley, Clune, Cordo lobbying firm gave $6,000 in two days in May and a major lobbyist and former top aid to the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, Patricia Lynch, contributed $99 in the last six months.
Mr. Spitzer still has $16.3 million in his campaign fund, four times that of his opponents’ resources combined.
Forty-six percent of his contributors were from upstate, 40% from the New York City metro area, and 13% were from out of state. “It does show the breadth of Eliot’s support across the state,” Mr. Spitzer’s campaign spokeswoman, Christine Anderson, said.
California has long been a stop for New York candidates raising money. Last year, Mr. Spitzer was endorsed by actors Chevy Chase and Blythe Danner.
Since the January filing, Mr. Spitzer spent $10.1 million on television and radio ads, while Republican John Faso and Democrat Thomas Suozzi have spent little on those expensive campaign ads. Ms. Anderson said Spitzer ads have been on the air continuously since March 14 and will continue.
Mr. Spitzer also returned $250,368 in contributions because they didn’t meet state rules or the campaign’s own standards against accepting money from people and corporations associated with Mr. Spitzer’s current job as state attorney general. Several of the contributors were nursing homes, which the attorney general regulates through his Medicaid fraud unit.
Mr. Faso had $1.42 million in his fund and Mr. Suozzi had $2.8 million, according to reports filed Monday. Mr. Suozzi raised $3.9 million since January.
Mr. Faso reported raising $1.5 million and spending over $1 million in the last six months.
