Boro Prez Race Fundraising: Strong Month for Hoylman-Sigal, Powers Still Holds Lead

The race for Manhattan Borough President is in full swing. The most recently released fundraising totals show East Side City Council Member Keith Powers is still the top fundraiser, but State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal–who represents a West Side district and only declared in December–posted stronger numbers in February.

Upstart candidate Calvin Sun, an emergency room physician who weathered the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is making an impressive showing. All three candidates are gathering signatures as they prepare to face off in the Democratic primary on June 24.

Hoylman-Sigal has raised $305,563 in private contributions. While the Campaign Finance Board had not dispatched any matching funds through the March 17 filing, his campaign manager, Caroline Crowell, said that Hoylman-Sigal expects to receive over $900,000 in matching funds when the next flight hits in mid-April. He has spent $157,409.

Powers, on the other hand, has raised $374,473 in contributions and already gained $539,524 in public funds through the mid-March period. He has spent $115,596 of that money, campaign records show, leaving him with $798,401 in his war chest. “With another six-figure filing in the books, our campaign is right on track to secure the $1,785,000 necessary to max out,” said campaign manager JT Ennis.

However, campaign filings reveal that Hoylman-Sigal outpaced Powers in direct contributions in the most recent month, $178,401 to $104,427. He has 1,268 Manhattan contributors, versus 997 for Powers through mid-March, according to the Campaign Finance Board records.

Sun has put up fundraising totals that arguably give him a similar war chest to his two better-known competitors, although some of this money was transferred over from when he was initially planning to run for Public Advocate. On top of raising $120,324 in private donations, he has also gained $370,884 in public funds. He has spent a total of $117,716, leaving him with $373,493, roughly the same amount as Hoylman-Sigal.

As to be expected, Hoylman-Sigal has attracted the support of West Side Democratic Party power brokers, while Powers has captured the support of many East Side politicos. Hoylman-Sigal has garnered the support of Manhattan’s two U.S. Representatives, Jerrold Nadler and Dan Goldman.

On the other hand, Powers has pulled support from the daughter of former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who was forced to unsuccessfully run against Nadler after a redistricting process melded both of their seats a few years ago. In fact, Virginia Maloney is also vying to replace Powers in the City Council in a crowded field. Powers is term-limited.

As Borough President, Hoylman-Sigal vows to focus on policies ranging from affordable housing to “protecting our civil liberties from the Trump administration.” His campaign website boasts that he has “passed over 350 bills focusing on a range of issues, including housing access, affordability, public safety, LGBTQ+ rights, and education.”

Powers also plays up his passion for housing politics, noting his past role as a tenant organizer for Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, as well as his work on office-to-residential conversion.

”During his time in the City Council, Keith has authored and passed legislation to convert the city vehicle fleet to electric vehicles, protect animal welfare against cruel conditions, prevent housing discrimination, strengthen the noise code, tackle e-bike fires, expand mental health beds in the five boroughs, and end the scourge of scaffolding in Manhattan,” his campaign says.

Sun has a far more extensive series of broad-ranging proposals. They can roughly be broken down into the following buckets: emergency preparedness, universal healthcare, protecting immigrant communities, seeking economic growth, supporting public-private partnerships, efficient government, defending civil liberties, and expanding educational affordability.

Sun’s campaign says that his “journey from ER physician to candidate for Manhattan Borough President is driven by a lifelong dedication to social justice and community empowerment.” Sun is also fond of talking about how he recently got married, which he says gives him personal insight into “the challenges facing new families in New York, from homeownership to family planning.”

The fast-approaching deadline for petitions to be filed is April 4, although candidates start filing on April 1. Candidates need to submit 4,000 valid signatures to get on the ballot.The incumbent Borough President, Mark Levine, opted to run for citywide office as Comptroller rather than seek reelection. He’s made no endorsement yet as to who he’d like to see as his successor.