Pagliuca Gives $5M+ In Race For Kennedy Seat
Three of four Dems running to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) are raising money at a furious pace, but the fourth has given himself more than $5M, the Boston Globe reports.
With less than two weeks to go, Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca (D) has given himself $5.4M, easily dwarfing his nearest rivals' fundraising success even as he trails in the polls. He can afford it, too; his wealth has been estimated at between $259M and $756M.
Tomorrow, campaigns will have to file reports detailing their fundraising success since Oct. 1. AG Martha Coakley (D) leads with $1.9M in total receipts, followed by Rep. Michael Capuano (D) with $1.8M+ and City Year co-founder Alan Khazei (D) with $1.2M.
Polls show Coakley leading with Capuano gaining ground. But the amount those two have spent doesn't come close to what Pagliuca has invested. He has spent a total of $4.2M on TV ads, compared to $1.4M for Capuano and $1.3M for Coakley. The Khazei campaign could not immediately provide a number.
Coakley, Capuano and Khazei are currently up on the air with one TV ad each. Pagiluca has been up with at least two ads at any given time, according to his campaign, and plans to launch a new ad on health care this p.m.
In total, Pagliuca has raised about half a million dollars, his campaign said. Coakley has taken in $4.1M, followed by Khazei at $2.3M. Capuano, who started the campaign with $1.1M in his federal spending account, has taken in $2.1M more. Coakley currently has $1.9M CoH to Capuano's $1.1M and Khazei's $500K.
Khazei, while the undisputed underdog in the polls, got a boost last week in a fundraiser hosted by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. More than 160 people attended the event at Bloomberg's private residence, raising more than $250K for the campaign.
(FELICIA SONMEZ)