As party delegates in New York coalesce around the state’s presidential primaries on Tuesday, candidates on both sides have been tossing big money to win their vote.
But exactly how much money has been splurged? More than $30 million has been spent by candidates and super PACs in the Big Apple since January 1 of last year, according to data processed by political-technology firm Circa Victor.
By looking at the Federal Election Commission’s data, and using the company’s Advocacy Intelligence software, Circa Victor found that over the past three months, Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have ramped up their spending in New York, with Clinton pouring nearly half of her campaign’s financial resources in the state over the last 90 days.
With both Democratic candidates possessing close ties to New York—Clinton was a senator there, and Sanders hails from Brooklyn—and with Clinton trying to hold on to her front-runner status in the state’s polls, it’s no surprise both have spent money trying to usurp the other. Clinton has forked out around $6.1 million in spending in New York, while Bernie Sanders’ campaign is close behind at $5.8 million.
On the Republican side, spending has been muted: Republican delegate leader Donald Trump has spent a relatively paltry $1.4 million over the last 90 days campaigning in New York, while challengers Ted Cruz and John Kasich have hardly spent in the state, although Cruz might have bought something in his trip to a Jewish matzah bakery in Brooklyn.
The amount raised by all candidates and super PACs this election season has already topped $1 billion, according to data collated by OpenSecrets.Org. The remaining candidates will be looking to snap up delegates in New York—95 for the Republicans, and 291 for the Democrats—when voting closes at 9p.m.