$$ in the 25th District Campaign
WSTM TV 3 (NBC)
Kristen Drew
October 20th, 2008
Video: http://www.wstm.com/news/video.aspx?id=209749
As the candidates from the 25th Congressional District make their final push for votes, Democrat Dan Maffei is pulling ahead when it comes to contribution numbers.
"I think it shows that we've attracted a lot of interest for our message. People want change. The first time in a long time they have a real opportunity to change the course of this district, and this country, and I think our campaign stands for that and that's why we're getting the support we're getting," said Dan Maffei.
As of September 30, Maffei raised nearly $2 million, with a large percentage of that support coming from people outside the district; including Washington DC and the New York City areas.
In an attack ad, sponsored by opponent Republican Dale Sweetland, Maffei is criticized for his ties to Washington. The ad connects Maffei to his former boss, Congressman Charlie Rangel, who owes thousands of dollars in back taxes on a resort property.
The attack comes around the same time the Democrat and Chronicle endorsed Dan Maffei, saying “it was a close call” between the candidates, but Maffei “showed a greater depth of understanding of how Washington works…”
Sweetland's campaign raised about $334 thousand, but Sweetland argues he won't owe any favors to Washington if he's elected.
Dale Sweetland said, "I think the Republicans in Washington know that Dale Sweetland is an independent guy and they know I have the best interest of this district at heart-- not what the Republicans necessarily want to do in Washington."
The Federal Election Commission website does not report any expenditures for Green Populist Candidate Howie Hawkins because the candidate has not raised or spent $5,000 on his campaign.
At the end of September, Hawkins sent a letter to previous contributors asking for support.
Hawkins says he spent about $2,500 on literature and rental fees for his campaign headquarters and expects to reach the $5,000 mark when the next report is due to the FEC.
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