By Peter Sorkin
With less than one week remaining in the Democratic primary race for the 36th Assembly District seat, Michael Gianaris has spent about 11 percent of the contributions to his war chest and Kimon Thermos has laid out some 40 percent in the heated campaign.
Both Democrats had said they planned on raising at least $100,000 by Election Day, but only Gianaris, 30, has already achieved that goal, according to the New York State Board of Elections Financial Disclosure Report.
Gianaris had raised $128,733 in the period from Jan. 1 through August, some $42,000 more than Thermos, 34, who had raised $86,140, based on filing from each candidate this year through mid-August.
The winner of the Sept. 12 primary will face Republican candidate Vince Tabone.
The Gianaris campaign has kept its expenditures down to a minimum over the period from Jan. 1 through July, spending just $13,642.81 of his $128,733, or nearly 11 percent of his contributions. But Thermos had spent $34,697, approximately 40 percent of his campaign contributions, as of the July period filing date.
When the primary is over, the candidate can keep the remaining balance of his contributions for future campaigns, said New York State Board of Election spokeswoman Naomi Bernstein.
Gianaris has been greatly helped by his association with retiring Assemblyman Denis Butler (D-Long Island City), who has been supported by the Queens Democratic machine in his previous races against Thermos.
Thermos has lost three previous races for the seat by an average of less than 250 votes to Butler, but it is the first such contest for Gianaris, who previously worked for Butler.
Of the five largest expenditures by the Gianaris campaign, the Parkside Group from Manhattan
