The Green New Deal may be in the red.
Progressives locked in tough primaries across the state posted abysmal fundraising numbers in their quarterly disclosure forms, suggesting grassroots energy on the far left continues to wane.
The data shows that even the blessing of “Squad” leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has failed to move the needle.
“People are just tired of them. They look around and see increased crime, more chaos and they blame the progressives for it,” said veteran Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf — who cautioned that in low-turnout August elections, the winner will be whoever has the best ground game to turn out supporters.
With a month to go before the Democratic primaries, progressive candidates are finding themselves strapped for cash.
In the new 17th District, which stretches along the Hudson Valley from the tip of Greenburgh all the way to East Fishkill, incumbent Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney hauled in $826,528. The powerful boss of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will head into the last stretch of the race with more than $2.5 million in the bank.
His progressive opponent, State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, netted only $257,437 during the same period. The likely GOP nominee, Assemblyman Mike Lawler, also trounced Biaggi in fundraising, taking in $353,874, records show.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman — despite the advantages of his incumbency — also came up short to his chief primary opponent, Westchester County Legislator Vedat Gashi. Bowman’s second quarter haul of $255,829, trailed Gashi’s $301,366. The wealthy district just south of the 17th includes much of Westchester County. Bowman has around $100,000 less cash on hand than Gashi heading into the home stretch.
Both Bowman and Biaggi have been endorsed by AOC and a litany of other progressive activist organizations.
The trend is the same even in races the Squad leader has not waded into. In Staten Island, Max Rose out-raised his primary challenger — the socialist stripper Brittany Ramos-Debarros — by almost 7 to 1.
In New York City’s heavily contested 10th congressional district of Lower Manhattan and Park Slope, progressive candidate Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou raised just $241,214 in her most recent filing, behind moderate Dan Goldman’s $1,241,368. Even former Mayor de Blasio, who just dropped out of the race, posted a respectable $510,537.
“You have to look at where progressives raise money. It’s all online. It’s digital. It’s social. You burn those lists so quickly,” said one senior Democratic House staffer. “It’s a saturation of people going to the same folks in the same place every time and asking.”
