Hoffman spends most in election
WASHINGTON — Douglas L. Hoffman was the top spender and fundraiser in the special election to replace Rep. John M. McHugh in Congress, the costliest congressional race ever in the north country.
Mr. Hoffman raised $1.02 million through Election Day, but added more than $472,000 from then until the end of the reporting period Nov. 23, reflecting his continuing appeal among conservatives and the likelihood of a rematch next year.
In total, according to a Federal Election Commission filing made this week, Mr. Hoffman collected $1,501,012 in the period from Oct. 15 to Nov. 23, as his profile soared following an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and other well-known conservatives. His biggest single source of money, through bundled contributions, was the conservative Club for Growth's political action committee, which gave him $251,075.
Mr. Hoffman spent $1.21 million and finished with $291,627, and with $5,000 in net debts and obligations, his FEC filing shows.
The winner, Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, raised more than $1.2 million and spent more than $1 million on his congressional campaign, his FEC filing shows.
Mr. Owens finished the campaign with $192,864 in cash — but with more than $200,000 in debt and obligations.
Dierdre K. Scozzafava, the Republican nominee, was far behind, raising a total of $370,957 for the campaign and spending $374,359.
The FEC filing reflects a flood of money that came in to Mr. Hoffman's campaign in late October and early November. The vast majority of the individual contributors were from states other than New York, people most likely attracted to the candidate by the national media attention he received in the final push toward Election Day.
Mr. Hoffman also received tens of thousands of dollars from conservative congressional leadership PACs and from some conservative members of Congress, including Reps. Steve King, R-Iowa, and Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, who gave from their own campaign accounts. Mr. King is known for pro-business stances that rile organized labor, and Mr. Flake is perhaps the best-known critic in Congress of earmarks, the hometown projects lawmakers work into bills.
Mr. Owens also raised a hefty amount of money from outside the congressional district, but reported far more contributors in the north country than Mr. Hoffman did. He received $206,962 through the ActBlue organization, which bundles campaign contributions for Democratic candidates, and $89,100 from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Moveon.org, the liberal-leaning group that was born during the Clinton impeachment, relayed $134,437 in individual contributions to Mr. Owens. He also received more than $20,000 from JStreet PAC, which aims to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts diplomatically.
The Democratic National Committee gave Mr. Owens $11,934, mainly in media-related in-kind services, the filing shows.
Mr. Owens's figures reflect his own surge in fundraising following endorsements from President Obama and former President Bill Clinton. He received contributions from several Democratic House members, as well as $2,000 from the campaign account of Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
