Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis said that she is closing in on qualifying for matching funds from the Campaign Finance Board, but has not yet met one of the two required thresholds. According to Malliotakis she has surpassed the requirement of receiving contributions from at least 1,000 City residents, but she has not yet received qualifying contributions of at least $250,000. (Qualifying contributions are contributions from City residents, but limited to$175 per contributor.)
Qualifying for matching funds is very important for Malliotakis: as of her July 15th filing she had raised $344,000 but an analysis by Politico estimated that she could additionally receive slightly more than $600,000 if she qualifies for matching funds on the contributions reported through July 15th. (Subsequent contributions would generate additional matching funds.) The Campaign Finance Board will make the determination of whether she qualifies based on her filings; the next is due August 11th.
Faulkner faces deep financial challenges in his campaign, as his campaign committee is insolvent. His campaign is $90,000 in debt (in addition to loans of about $150,000 from Faulkner) after raising just $93,000. I asked Faulkner about his campaign’s financial condition.
Video:
Here’s what Malliotakis and Faulkner had to say: