Astorino Campaign Raises $3.4 Million In 6 Months; Still Far Behind Cuomo

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino announced Monday that it has raised $3.4 million in the past six months, but Astorino remained significantly behind Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo.

Astorino, who now serves as Westchester County executive, took in $2.8 million from more than 4,000 donors, according to campaign spokeswoman Jessica Proud. Astorino also transferred $600,000 from his county campaign fund.

After campaign expenses were deducted, Astorino reported having $2.4 million on hand to spend as of Friday.

Cuomo reported $33 million in his campaign account as of January. Spokesman Peter Kauffmann said the Cuomo campaign would file a new finance report Tuesday, which is the deadline for campaigns to submit their most recent campaign disclosures.

Despite his disadvantage, Astorino remains pleased with the level of support for his campaign, Proud said. She said more than $1 million in contributions came in in the past month.

``He's most proud of the number of donors; these are everyday New Yorkers,'' Proud said. ``The average contribution is not that large but we get them from people with notes attached that say, `Please help the state.'''

Proud said Astorino never expected to beat Cuomo when it comes to fundraising and that the pace of fundraising will increase as the campaign season wears on and more people learn about his campaign.

Polls have consistently given Cuomo a commanding 2-to-1 lead over Astorino. In June, a Siena College poll of 835 registered voters last week shows 57 percent would re-elect Cuomo.

One of Astorino's greatest hurdles may be his name recognition, with polls suggesting that many voters have no opinion of him.

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