Sarah Klee Hood knows she has to raise the money necessary to show central New York Democrats that she is the right candidate to defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams.
In her first fundraising quarter of the 2024 election cycle, she made a big splash.聽
Klee Hood, D-DeWitt, raised nearly $320,000, according to preliminary figures released by her campaign. She received more than 8,000 donations, with the average online donation totaling $33.37.聽
Klee Hood's campaign has more than $221,000 cash on hand to kick off the next fundraising quarter.聽
"These numbers show the grassroots enthusiasm for our campaign and central New York's distaste for Brandon Williams' radical politics," Klee Hood said in a statement. "NY-22 deserves better and I'm honored by the trust that central New Yorkers continue to place in me."聽
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Klee Hood's fundraising has vastly improved since her run for Congress in 2022 when she was one of four Democrats who challenged for the party's nomination. While she supported her campaign with her own funds, she also raised $117,000 from individual donors.聽
After launching her second campaign for Congress earlier this year, she reported raising $118,000 from individual donors in one week.聽
Her second-quarter haul outperformed the debuts of past Democratic nominees. Francis Conole, who defeated Klee Hood, Chol Majok and Sam Roberts in the 2022 Democratic primary, launched his campaign in the summer of 2021. In his first fundraising quarter as a candidate, he raised $213,134.聽
Dana Balter, who was the Syracuse-area Democratic nominee for Congress in 2018 and 2020, raised $186,616 in her first fundraising quarter of the 2020 cycle. She raised $59,444 in her first full fundraising quarter as a 2018 candidate.聽
Klee Hood, who is a DeWitt town councilor and Air Force veteran, has already landed several endorsements, including the support of 50 local Democratic elected officials and activists. She has received some national endorsements from U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran and Illinois Democrat, and VoteVets PAC, a group that supports veterans running for office.聽
One other Democrat has announced their candidacy for the 22nd Congressional District, which includes all of Onondaga, Madison and Oneida counties, along with a portion of Oswego County. Clem Harris is also seeking the Democratic nomination. Harris has not released any fundraising details.聽
The 22nd district is a top target for Democrats in 2024. House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, has already pledged to spend $45 million on congressional races in New York, including NY-22.聽
Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.