Republicans Lose Campaign Fund-Raising Edge

Losing the majority in the State Senate last year cost Republicans the choice office space they long occupied in the Capitol, their committee chairmanships and dozens of staff members.

Senate Republicans, who once had perhaps the most formidable fund-raising operation in Albany, were heavily outraised by Senate Democrats during the first six months of 2009, as donors moved to ingratiate themselves with the new majority party, according to an analysis of donation records by the New York Public Interest Research Group, a nonpartisan watchdog organization.

While Senate Democrats raised $6.9 million, Republicans raised just $2.5 million. That $4.4 million gap is the second-largest between the two parties since 1999, when the State Board of Elections introduced electronic filing.