By Alex Robinson
Flushing state Senate candidate S.J. Jung has out-fund-raised and outspent his opponent, Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), but her campaign is not worried.
Jung raised more than $170,000 since he started his campaign, according to campaign finance filings, including $50,000 of his own money. Although Stavisky only accumulated $116,000 during the same time, she has more than $125,000 on hand as she started with $40,000 in her account and spent $31,000.
Her opponent spent almost twice as much as she did and had $109,000 left in his account when he filed.
“I am incredibly humbled by and thankful for the generous contributions our campaign has received over the last two months,” Jung said. “These donations prove that our message of change is resonating with voters in every neighborhood of the 16th state Senate District.”
Jung’s big haul was nothing Stavisky’s campaign had not experienced before as she has been vastly outspent in past primary campaigns she went on to win.
At the same point in her successful 2012 re-election campaign, she had raised more than $92,000, whereas her challenger, John Messer, raised $351,000. Messer also spent more than three times what Stavisky had in that time and the incumbent went on to win the race.
“Regardless of how much of his own personal money Jung throws in the race, Sen. Stavisky is going to win the primary in September and the general election in November because of her strong record of creating jobs in Queens, increasing the minimum wage and fighting for full women’s equality,” said Joe Reubens, a spokesman for the Stavisky campaign.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
