Mark Murphy
A recent press release put out by the campaign of U.S. Congressional hopeful Mark Murphy highlighted the high percentage of smaller individual donors who have contributed to his campaign to replace 13th District incumbent Michael Grimm.
From the Murphy campaign’s statement:
…over 70% of Murphyʼs second-quarter contributions were under $250, and 77% of his contributions in the latest filing were from individual donors, as opposed to PACs or similar organizations. Murphy raised $216,427 in the second quarter and now has over $260,000 cash on hand…
…Congressman Grimm, on the other hand, has seen an apparent collapse in his overall donor base with only 12% of donations in the latest filing coming from individuals, as his legal bills and other new debts continue to mount. Grimmʼs committee still owes over $300,000 to his lawyers as a result of his ongoing fundraising scandal and FBI investigation, which remains unpaid, and he has added another $40,000 in new debt to various campaign vendors.
Congressman Michael Grimm
While Rep. Grimm’s legal bills and evident lack of grass roots support are part of a political reality he must contend with, his campaign financials still seem very healthy – which is largely thanks to the contributions of wealthy donors and PACs.
Grimm has amassed a war chest of over $1 million, which certainly minimizes his debt situation. Furthermore, the New York City media market – which makes political campaigning here more costly than in other parts of the country – tends to favor deep pockets over the will of the people.
And that’s a reality we all must deal with.