Politics on the Hudson

As the potential Democratic candidates for attorney general wait for the inevitable announcement that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will run for governor, they are already researching each other.

One potential campaign forwarded some research on the campaign cash of the half dozen or so attorney general candidates

The results, they claim: 44 percent of Sean Coffey’s money came from out of state, 22 percent for former state Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo; 9 percent for Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, Westchester County; 7 percent for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and 4 percent for Sen. Eric Schneiderman, D-Manhattan.

Coffey, a former federal prosecutor, raised eyebrows by his strong fundraising, bringing in about $1.65 million over the last six months.  Rice had the most on hand at $2.4 million on hand, followed by $1.75 million for Dinallo and $1.3 million for Brodsky. Schneiderman had $1 million.

Coffey loaned his campaign $150,000 and, for example, picked up $37,800 from San Diego attorney Patrick Coughlin and $18,100 from Pennsylvania law firm Barroway Topaz Kessler Meltzer & Check, LLP.

Coffey campaign manager Dan Krupnick said Coffey—who handled national cases such as the financial collapse of the Baptist Foundation of Arizona—has build relationships around the country.

And Krupnick said it’s a little early for potential candidates to start throwing mud.

“If you’re trying to discredit one candidate from another at this point, it’s seems awfully early,” he said. “Let’s give the folks in New York an opportunity to get to know the candidates first.”

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