In New York’s 20th Congressional District, voters have been hearing about the fight between Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand and her Republican challenger, Alexander Sandy Treadwell, for months, as it becomes one of the biggest races this year in terms of dollars spent and airtime bought.
As Election Day approaches and the two campaigns enter into the final push of the season, Spotlight Newspapers decided to contact both sides and see where they stand at crunch time.
The money
Both sides have posted big numbers in their war chests throughout the race, but Treadwell’s campaign has finally surpassed Gillibrand’s in total funds raised. In fact, the former New York secretary of state has raised the most money of any New York candidate running for the House of Representatives this year, with $5.38 million as of Sept. 30.
Gillibrand’s campaign has taken in the third largest amount in the state’s House races at $4.4 million. The Democratic incumbent has spent less, though, keeping about $1.5 million of that money in her war chest to Treadwell’s $855,000.
Treadwell has personally contributed almost the exact same amount to his own efforts that the entire Gillibrand campaign has raised; his campaign took in about $800,000 from individual and group donations. He’s the holder of a blind trust fund, built by former General Electric executives in his family.
These figures come from the Federal Election Commission, to whom all candidates must periodically report their campaign’s finances. They numbers represent the time period up to Sept. 30, the latest date figures were posted.
Each candidate has spent well over $1 million for television advertising.
The implication is that the race in the 20th could easily top a $10 million price tag, eclipsing other Congressional races statewide.
Neither campaign identified any changes in how they will spend money in the last two weeks of the race, but with the cash remaining on-hand, both will be able to aggressively promote their messages.
The record
Gillibrand has said she is running her campaign based on the record of her freshman year in the House. When asked to identify the high points of her term, she immediately identified 2007’s `Farm Bill,` which she claims is `the best farm bill in the history of upstate New York.` It offered support for dairy farmers and made grants available for organic farming.
She said she fulfilled a promise to run an open and receptive office, pointing to more than 50 `Congress on Your Corner` events she held around the district to directly interact with her constituency.
When asked what Treadwell would change about Gillibrand’s office, campaign spokesman Peter Constantakes criticized Congress’s recent bill to expand drilling for oil.
`The Congresswoman and her colleagues passed a sham drilling bill,` he said. Treadwell would work toward a bill that allows greater access to offshore drilling, said Constantakes.
Dollars and sense
Whoever is selected to represent the 20th District in Washington will, like it or not, be part of the process to solve the ongoing fiscal crisis. Weeks ago, Gillibrand voted against both versions of a government bailout bill, citing a lack of oversight and regulation for the industry. Treadwell said that he would have done the same. As the problem has continued despite the bailout, the two have different ideas of how to act now.
Constantakes said that the problem would hopefully be addressed before his candidate reaches Congress but that several approaches have been examined.
`There are a lot of good ideas out there,` he said. One would be a moratorium on earmarks, with the $20 billion distributed to the states, based on population, used to help close budget gaps.
Constantakes also said the Treadwell campaign believes a suspension of taxes on unemployment benefits should be considered ` an idea supported by both presidential candidates ` as well as doubling the personal tax exemption for middle class families to $7,000.
Gillibrand said that a proper economic stimulus package is vital, and that it should focus on creating jobs by funding three areas: infrastructure, investment in new energy uses over 10 years and research to make energy more cost effective through alternative power sources.
She estimated the package could weigh in at $150 billion, and said things like rural broadband expansion, healthcare information technology and construction of a light railway along Interstate 87 could be parts of the infrastructure element.
She also said that the health-care system should be streamlined and that a not-for-profit health-care provider should be created in order to get people off of an emergency health-care mentality and foster the practice of preventative medicine.
Signs of the times
Most voters have been coming into contact with the fruits of the campaign funds spent on a daily basis in the form of commercials and campaign signs that have sprung up across the Capital District. In Clifton Park, some of Treadwell’s signs have sparked a controversy.
The Clifton Park Democratic Committee has taken issue with several Treadwell signs in town, saying that they are double the maximum allowable size of 16 square feet.
According to Stephen Myers, the town’s director of building and zoning, the signs are within zoning regulations because they lie on private land and, as political ` not commercial ` signs, fall under the domain of free speech.
`The signs are all on private property,` said Myers, who also said he had spoken with the town’s attorney. `Because they’re on private property, it’s a freedom of speech matter.`
Tod Kerner, chairman of the Clifton Park Democratic Committee, said he doesn’t agree with that assessment.
`The only reason they’re not in violation is because they’re for Sandy Treadwell,` said Kerner. `All of a sudden the law doesn’t really mean what it means.`
Kerner said that legal avenues will likely not be pursued, since it is unlikely the issue would be resolved before the Nov. 4 election.
Clearing the air
The issue of funding sources has generated a slew of press releases from both sides in the past months, but the most recent criticism that Gillibrand accepted $23,200 from tobacco company Philip Morris generated a whole movement in the Treadwell campaign. It launched a Web site dedicated to the issue, www.gillibrandunfiltered.com.
Gillibrand represented the tobacco giant early in her legal career in the mid-to-late 1990s, when the company was under scrutiny and defending civil lawsuits.
Constantakes said that the Philip Morris issue is not about the money but about Gillibrand’s history.
`Kirsten Gillibrand, for five years as a professional lawyer, defended tobacco, and then she hid that,` he said. Constantakes said that it’s up to Gillibrand who she takes money from, but that the onus is on her to convince voters that she still thinks independently.
`She ran on a campaign of ethics reform,` he said. `I think she has to be able to tell the people that money is not influencing her.`
`We never hid that,` said Gillibrand campaign spokeswoman Rachel McEneny, saying that Gillibrand was one of 30 attorneys who worked on the case.
Gillibrand voted for the recent cigarette tax hike, and for three bills that were presented by anti-tobacco lobbyists during her term. McEneny asserted that Treadwell has also touched money from Altria, the Philip Morris parent company. She said $77,000 was donated to the State Republican Committee for various purposes under Treadwell’s chair.
Constantakes said Treadwell had little if any involvement in Altria donations.
`There are a lot of Republicans around the state, and this money was distributed around the party, not to a specific candidate,` he said.
The hook-shaped 20th Congressional District is large, covering 10 counties in all, including much of Saratoga County.
The candidates will ultimately meet in three debates, one of which was held Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Poughkeepsie. A Times Union-sponsored debate will take place Thursday, Oct. 23, and Tuesday, Oct. 28 will see a debate sponsored by the Glens Falls Post-Star, to be broadcast on Channel 13 and www.wnyt.com.“