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Outside spending still dominates NY19 race

NY19 Finances WEB

WSKG - Spending in the toss up 19th Congressional District race is still dominated by outside groups, instead of the campaigns themselves.

So far this election season, over $10.3 million has been spent on candidates in the 19th District.  That's according to Federal Election Commission data, processed by OpenSecrets. It's one of only 28 House races with more than $10 million in outside spending this cycle.

Most of the funds spent in the 19th District – roughly $5.8 million – either supported Republican candidate Marc Molinaro, or opposed Democratic candidates. Conversely, outside groups spent $4.5 million supporting Democrats or opposing Republicans during the 2022 cycle.

Outside groups, like super PACs, largely contribute to ad buys and other major expenditures. Such groups include the DCCC and Congressional Leadership Fund. Both party-aligned super PACs have purchased television spots in the 19th District.

During the first few weeks of October, Democrat Josh Riley’s campaign raised and spent more than Molinaro, according to recently filed FEC disclosure reports. Riley began October with $1.2 million on hand. He spent roughly $970,000 in the first three weeks of October, while raising another $730,000 over the same period.

Molinaro’s campaign entered October with $404,000 on hand, according to FEC disclosures. He raised just under $187,000 while spending $137,000 during the same period.

Vaughn Golden has been reporting across New York since 2016. Working as a freelancer while studying journalism and economics at Ithaca College, Vaughn has reported for a number of outlets including the Albany Times Union, New York Post, and NPR among others. Prior to coming to WSKG full-time, Vaughn was a reporter for the Watertown Daily Times. Vaughn now covers government and politics for WSKG.