Can you believe there's barely a little more than a month left for Paladino and Cuomo to photoshop each other to hell? It feels like only yesterday that Cuomo was being criticized for his "Rose Garden" campaign, and now look at him! Of course, he could afford any kind of campaign he wants, then and now; Cuomo has built up a war chest of over $20 million. Paladino, on the other hand, is scrambling to get more donations for his campaign.
Paladino has already called on his supporters to take part in a "money bomb" this Tuesday. It's kind of incredible to think of people from around the country watching the Cuomodino show and wanting to take part, but it seems that's exactly what's happening: Paladino's received nearly 200 donations from out-of-state residents, most of them Tea Party members, during the past two weeks, accounting for nearly a quarter of all the contributions he's received according to his recent filings. "I think he's a tough guy who tells it like it is," Andrew Wilson, a Tea Party supporter from Great Falls, Va. who gave $500, told the News.
Altogether, Paladino raised an amount just shy of $275,000 from those recent contributions, but only has $209,000 in his political bank account. But Paladino also has his own personal piggy bank to take money from, and he previously promised to use up to $10 million to fund his campaign if necessary (he is reportedly worth around $150 million). So even if Paladino's actions make him seem nervous, his words aren't: "We're not all bent out of shape about fundraising...I'm not worried at all about money."
