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Mayor Ben Walsh has raised more than four times as much money than his Democratic opponent Khalid Bey since January, according to state campaign finance records updated on Oct. 22. 

The Independent incumbent entered 2021 with nearly $300,000 in his campaign’s accounts, and he has since raised an additional $428,000. Bey has raised $103,000 after starting the year with empty accounts.

The financial lead signals what potential voters think about the candidates, said Aarick Knighton, Walsh’s campaign manager.

“Our campaign leans on donations and contributions from those who believe in the mayor and his vision,” he said. “Fundraising has been an equalizer allowing our nonpartisan message to break through the political environment.”

As an Independent, Walsh does not receive funding from the county’s Democratic or Republican committees, Knighton said.

Walsh has been endorsed by 10 union organizations, while Bey has not been endorsed by any. Those labor organizations account for a total of at least $10,000 of Walsh’s fundraising. The mayor recently announced his detailed campaign platform, the “Plan to Keep Rising,” at Westcott Theater last week.

Despite having significantly less funding to work with, this is not the first time Bey has neared Election Day with a fraction of his opponent’s fundraising totals. By the date of the primary election in June, his opponent, Common Councilor Michael Greene, had raised just over $100,000 — almost triple Bey’s $37,000 of funds. Bey won that race by 34 votes.

The smaller fundraising isn’t a disadvantage, according to Erik Eure, Bey’s campaign manager.

“The people of Syracuse who are supporting Councilor Bey are tired of failed promises and ready for change to a better Syracuse,” he said. “Money doesn’t vote, people do, and the Khalid Bey campaign for mayor is reaching people.”

Greene out-fundraised Bey up until October even though Bey won the primary and campaigned for an additional four months. Eure said it’s a sign that Bey’s priority is on the community.

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“Our campaign strategies have always been about reaching the people of Syracuse with a message of change,” Eure said. “Our strategy is what it has always been, take our appeal to the people of Syracuse. From our vantage point, we have been doing just that.”

In recent months, donations to Walsh’s campaign have come in at a higher rate and in greater amounts, according to state disclosures. After bringing in just over $200,000 in the first half of the year, he raised nearly $135,000 between July and October alone. Bey raised $57,000 in the same four-month period.

The Walsh campaign has spent nearly $300,000 in the past four months, more than three times the amount Bey has raised all year. Much of that money has gone to campaign expenses such as staff, signs and advertisements.

“A strategic fundraising plan was set back in January that would allow the mayor to run a strong reelection campaign,” Knighton said. “That plan is being executed, and we are confident that Syracuse voters will once again put collaboration and progress over partisanship.”

The Republican candidate, Janet Burman, has raised just under $12,000 since the year began. More than $3,000 of those funds are personal loans from Burman or her husband, according to the state records.

A number of county Republicans discouraged Burman from running for mayor back in January, fearing that she could take votes away from the less-progressive Walsh and hand the Democratic opponent a victory, according to syracuse.com. 

Burman chose to run anyway, though she has raised a tenth of Bey’s total funding. Walsh raised almost 30 times more funding than Burman between July and September, and the money she raised in October has not yet been disclosed.

Libertarian Tom Babilon raised $1,300 during his primary campaign against Burman.

Walsh, Bey and Burman will face off at the ballot box on Nov. 2. Early voting began Oct. 23 and will run through Oct. 31.

Published on October 24, 2021 at 10:02 pm

Contact Nick: nickrobertson@dailyorange.com | @NickRobertsonSU