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In Campaign Fundraising Game, New York City Is Donor Central

New Yorkers have deposited a whopping $160 million into mostly federal campaign coffers this election cycle, making the Empire State second only to California when it comes to fueling the political money machine.

That’s good news for Republicans descending on the Big Apple this week for fun and fundraising at the GOP national convention — especially since approximately 65 percent of New York’s donations came from about 60,000 donors inside Manhattan, making it the No. 1 spot for raising cash in the state.

So far, presidential candidates have taken in $40 million in donations from New Yorkers, with Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry raking in nearly twice as much as President Bush. According to the nonpartisan PoliticalMoneyLine, the Massachusetts Senator has raised nearly $18 million from about 20 million citizens of New York.

Meanwhile, slightly fewer than 9,500 New Yorkers have contributed a total of $10.6 million to Bush’s re-election campaign. Both parties’ Senate candidates have raked in more than $20 million from New York donors, while Republican and Democratic House candidates have raised nearly $16.9 million.

While such locales as Scarsdale, Rye and Buffalo are hot spots when it comes to raising campaign cash, New York’s four outer boroughs are still prime locations that fundraisers might want to target.

Brooklyn, for instance, ranked second among New York localities in fundraising, with almost 6,000 donors contributing $4.6 million to the money game.

The Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, is fertile ground for fundraising, contributing $1.1 million to Brooklyn’s $4.6 million contribution total so far this election cycle.

Once home to such notable writers as Truman Capote and Arthur Miller, the area has a small-town feel while at the same time providing a stunning view of the lower Manhattan skyline.

Residents of Queens have made about $2.5 million in contributions to candidates, 527s and political action committees this election cycle.

The 11374 and 11375 ZIP codes in the Queens neighborhood of Flushing were particularly active ZIP codes, together providing nearly half a million dollars in political contributions.

Unless you happen to be playing ball in Yankee Stadium, don’t expect as big a take in the Bronx. Contributors from the Bronx area have tossed about $1 million into the campaign finance pot.

There’s even less financial activity going on in the more suburban borough of Staten Island. It ranks 11th among all New York jurisdictions for political donations. Slightly more than 1,000 Staten Island residents have given a total of $676,100.

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