Elizabeth Crowley, pictured, raised more than $500,000 as part of her quest to win the District 59 state senate seat (Photo courtesy of Crowley for State Senate)
July 18, 2022 By Christian Murray
Elizabeth Crowley has raised more than $500,000 in her bid for the District 59 State Senate seat, with more than $168,000 coming from labor unions, according to her July 15 campaign filings.
She has raised more money than her four competitors combined. Kristen Gonzalez, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and Working Families Party, has brought in the next largest haul with $152,000, filings show.
Crowley and Gonzalez, who have both been raising money since the beginning of the year, are well ahead of Nomiki Konst, who has brought in $50,135, and Mike Corbett, with $40,707. Both Konst and Corbett launched their respective campaigns less than two months ago and have had less time to raise money.
Meanwhile, Francoise Olivas has raised $29,000 since February.
The five candidates are vying for an open seat in a new district that covers Astoria and Long Island City in Queens, Greenpoint and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, and Stuytown and Murray Hill in Manhattan. They are all running in the Democratic primary scheduled for Aug. 23.
Crowley has been endorsed by several large unions, including the United Federation of Teachers, New York state AFL-CIO, District Council 37 and Communications Workers of America. She said that she has refused funds from large developers.
“I am gratified by the widespread support for my campaign,” Crowley said in a statement, while noting that she is the only candidate in the race who has held elected office before—having served nine years in the New York City Council.
Crowley said that she would advocate for working families and would “fight to protect and expand affordable housing and childcare.”
Senate District 59 includes Astoria, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg and parts of Manhattan (redistrictingandyou)
Gonzalez was also pleased with her fundraising, noting that she had received a lot of grass roots support.
“We don’t need a half a million dollars to win this race. We’re proud to have surpassed our goal with over $150,000 raised in small dollars, zero corporate money, and an average donation size of around $45,” she said.
“Nearly 2,000 people were inspired to pitch in because they’re ready to take part in a larger fight against an establishment that tells us this is just the way things are — rising rents, a worsening climate crisis, and our rights under attack — and that working people don’t have the power to change it. “
Gonzalez has been endorsed by a long list of progressives, including Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez; State Senators Michael Gianaris and Julia Salazar, Assemblymembers Emily Gallagher and Zohran Mamdani; and Councilmembers Lincoln Restler and Tiffany Cabán.
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