The New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) announced Wednesday that only two of six candidates who are slated to appear on the ballot in the Queens borough president special election qualified for city matching funds, raking in almost $1 million in campaign cash.
Former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley received $497,795 and current Councilman Costa Constantinides received $476,697 in matching funds.
The voluntary public financing program matches small-dollar contributions eight-to-one in order to encourage public participation in the electoral process. All candidates chose to participate in the matching funds program.
Councilman Donovan Richards, a candidate who received the Queens County Democratic Party’s endorsement, was notably absent from the list of recipients. However, the prospect of receiving an infusion of matching funds is not out the window for Richards or any of the other candidates after the next campaign finance filing disclosure on Feb. 21. The results of that disclosure period will be announced on Feb. 27.
Crowley already topped the field in cash on hand after the January filing deadline, so the matching funds have boosted her monetary lead, which was already in the hundreds of thousands.
But for Constantinides, the infusion closes the $100,000 gap that Richards had over him in spending cash, and raises his standing to having the second most cash on hand.
The third and last chance to receive matching funds before the special election will be days before the March 19 – days before the election on March 24.
