Republican Harry Wilson has released his first campaign finance report of the election cycle, which reveals the former hedge fund manager has so far sunk $2,253,000 of his own cash into his bid to oust Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

All told, Wilson took in $3,397,592 during this reporting period, $1,139,169 of which he raised, and spent $633,153. he has $2,764,439.

That’s twice the $1.3 million DiNapoli reported having on hand in mid-January. The comptroller recently announced that he had decided to end his self-imposed contribution limit of $10,000 for inidividuals in the face of a tough challenge from Wilson.

“We are very pleased with where we are in this campaign,” said Wilson campaign manager Chapin Fay.

“We began fundraising in earnest just eight weeks ago, and the response has been strong. Harry Wilson is better qualified for this office than his opponent, and with this type of support, we are confident that we will be able to let voters know that statewide well in time for the November election.”

This report, which comes three days before the July 15 deadline, has been widely anticipated since Wilson, a first-time candidate, has been very coy about how much money he has managed to raise and how much he might be willing to self-finance.

His recent release of four years worth of tax returns revealed he’s worth several million dollars, so this first hit (a loan) might be just a drop in the bucket.

DiNapoli initially curtailed his fundraising efforts in hopes of shaking the cloud of scandal that hung around the office in the wake of the Chauffeurgate mess that enabled him to replace Alan Hevesi – thanks to his former legislative colleagues.

But AG Andrew Cuomo’s pay-to-play pension fund probe has made it hard for DiNapoli to shake that cloud, despite the fact that he has enacted a number of reforms. And things only got worse when Cuomo said a meeting that took place on DiNapoli’s watch was of interest to his investigators.

The Democratic gubernatorial designee has also made it clear he would probably prefer someone other than DiNapoli in the comptroller’s office (albeit a Democrat).

His refusal to endorse DiNapoli speaks volumes. But DiNapoli has a strong ally in Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (a relationship on which the GOP and Wilson’s campaign have sought to capitalize) and is widely liked by his old friends in the Assembly. He also has amassed considerable support from organized labor unions.

Taxpayers for Wilson July Filing (1)

Share|