New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's campaign for reelection continues to rake in millions of dollars with five weeks left until Election Day on Nov. 3.
According to the Democratic governor's campaign, Hochul has added more than $2.6 million to her campaign since July and given a more than $5.9 million boost to the state's Democratic Party. These recent additions, which are reflected in the governor's September 2026 filing, bring the groups' collective cash-on-hand total to more than $33 million.
It's the most the party has ever had in this point in the election cycle, Hochul's campaign says, and the governor's re-election campaign has earned the support of a record 17,800 individual donors with an average online donation of $22.38.
"Thanks to New Yorkers
from all 62 counties standing with us for the fourth filing period in a row, Governor Hochul's campaign and the state Democratic Party are headed into the final stretch of this race with unprecedented firepower," says Friends for Kathy Hochul campaign manager Preston Elliott.
"By investing early in a stronger coordinated campaign than New York has ever seen before, the governor has been laying the groundwork for months to hand Bruce Blakeman yet another loss and send MAGA Republicans across the state packing with him," Elliott added.
How much money did Hochul's campaign receive in the first half of 2026?
Hochul's campaign raised $5.6 million from 27,000 unique donors between January and June of this year, amounting to more than $20 million cash on hand at the time.
Two well-known names in western New York — Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula — each pitched in $18,000 to Hochul's campaign, as revealed in July's periodic campaign financing report. Terry Pegula also contributed $138,600 to the Democratic State Committee, according to reporting by the New York Public News Network.
What about Hochul's Republican challenger?
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman's campaign has yet to report their latest earnings. According to his campaign's July periodic report, Blakeman raised just over $3 million since his March filing, bringing him to nearly $4.6 million on hand at the time.
Blakeman has received almost $770,000 from the state's Public Campaign Finance Program and qualified for an additional $1.2 million as of June 30. It's been a point of contention as the state's Public Campaign Finance Board initially denied Blakeman access to the matching funds in March due to a paperwork error, a decision later reversed in a court battle.
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers' taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hochul campaign raises millions ahead of Election Day. See how much
