NY-23: 95 Percent of Hoffman Cash From Out of District

It’s no secret that national fundraising has buoyed the campaign of Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in the NY-23 special election. But the full extent is remarkable. We crunched the FEC contribution numbers this afternoon to discover that 95 percent of Hoffman’s donations came from individuals and PACs based outside of the district. (Hoffman himself doesn’t even live in NY-23.) Only $12,360 of the $265,341 he’s raised came from potential constituents. Hoffman collected money from donors in 35 states. Of the total 146 donors, only 22 were actually from within the district he hopes to represent. The campaign’s biggest backer is the Washington-based Club for Growth, accounting for more than one-third of all fundraising ($83,260).

Hoffman’s been criticized in local NY-23 press for his weak grasp of district issues, which Dick Armey, former House GOP speaker who is campaigning for Hoffman, brushed aside as “parochial.” Hoffman has acknowledged this weak point, even saying that if he were elected, he would reach out to moderate

TWI’s politics reporter David Weigel has kept a watchful eye on the race as its unfolded. He’s filing live reports from NY-23, which you can catch here.