MallioMoneyMentum



Money has been one of many steep challenges for Republican/Conservative mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis, but she appears to be making progress on addressing that challenge.  She hit a campaign highlight Friday, announcing that she expects to qualify tomorrow for $1.6 million in City campaign finance matching funds.  Receiving such an amount would markedly boost her campaign’s financial condition and put her reasonable close financially to Mayor de Blasio’s campaign, which reported $2.3 million on hand as of September 18th.  Malliotakis reported having less than 1/10th of that amount, $163,000, on hand as of the 18th, but receipt of her estimated $1.6 million in matching funds would markedly improved her campaign’s financial condition.  (The Campaign Finance Board will determine whether she qualifies, as well as determine the precise amount.) 

Malliotakis has also been actively fundraising, with near-daily fundraisers recently.  Tonight brings a politically notable fundraiser, hosted by leaders from both parties that have nominated her.  Headlined by George Pataki, the evening’s hosts include the New York State chairman of each party, Ed Cox and Mike Long, all five New York City Republican county chairs and four of the five New York City Conservative county chairs.  Elected Republicans are also well-represented among the hosts, with the two state legislative leaders, Senate Temporary President and Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb joining Sen. Marty Golden and Assembly Member Ron Castorina as hosts.  (Castorina is also the Staten Island Republican chair.)

Three term Republican governor Pataki is the only Republican elected statewide since 1995 and was an energetic supporter of John Catsimatidis in the 2013 Republican mayoral primary.  (Malliotakis, whose father is from Greece, and the Greek-born Catsimatidis are close, with Malliotakis having described him using a Greek word which she translated as “godfather.”)

Activity isn’t the measure of value, however.  What counts is how much money Malliotakis raises, and it’s currently unclear how much Malliotakis has raised in her recent fundraising dash.

Update:  A Malliotakis spokesman declined to provide any information on the amount she’s raised recently, saying only that “we are making all our fundraising projections with near daily events and we will have the money needed to bring Assemblywoman’s Malliotakis’ message to all the voters of New York City.”