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NY War Room: ICYMI – Brandon Williams’ Campaign Bankrolled By Out-Of-State Dollars

July 20, 2023

New York, NY – In case you missed it, Brandon Williams’ second quarter campaign fundraising haul uncovered over 95% of his donors came from outside of the 22nd Congressional District.

The vulnerable Republican happily took $84,438 in donations from his home state of Texas as well as thousands from oil tycoons and friends of disgraced former President Donald Trump. 

His top donors?

“Brandon Williams is a sellout, out-of-touch multimillionaire Texan who refuses to move into the district he represents,” said HMP New York Press Secretary Dora Pekec. “In 2024, New Yorkers will make it clear Brandon Williams and his big oil, MAGA agenda are not welcome in NY-22.”

Read the full article below:

“To fund his reelection bid in 2024, U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams is looking outside of the 22nd Congressional District for financial support.

Federal Election Commission records show that Williams, R-Sennett, received more than 95% of his second-quarter haul from outside of his central New York and Mohawk Valley district.

Williams, whose district includes all of Onondaga, Madison and Oneida counties, plus a small portion of Oswego County, raised $539,590 in the second quarter.

The Cayuga County Republican received $178,033 from individual donors, including 66 donations totaling $84,438 from Texas residents. Among the Texans supporting Williams’ campaign: Harlan Crow, a leading Republican donor whose relationship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been scrutinized. He, along with his wife, Katherine, each gave $3,300 — the maximum amount allowed under FEC rules.

Williams is a Texas native. He was born and raised in Dallas. 

According to the filing, Williams’ campaign received 32 donations totaling $19,575 from individuals living in the 22nd district — less than 4% of his total receipts. He raised $31,525 from New York residents, including those living in NY-22. 

Williams also collected $167,280 from PACs and other political committees, nearly all of which came from outside of the 22nd district. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s campaign committee donated $2,000. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s campaign gave $4,000. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who serves as House GOP conference chair, contributed $4,000 through her campaign.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House GOP leaders, and the National Republican Congressional Committee each donated $5,000.

Joint fundraising committees transferred $189,027 into Williams’ campaign account. Williams has a victory fund to support his reelection bid in NY-22. There are other joint fundraising committees supporting his campaign, including Protect the House — a fund established by GOP leaders to help candidates running in battleground districts.

After spending $204,377 in the second quarter, Williams has $806,720 cash on hand.

Williams was pressed about his fundraising at a town hall meeting in May. When asked why he is seeking financial support from outside of his district, he told the crowd that “there’s not a lot of money here, folks.”

“If you look at the economics county by county, central New York and upstate New York has fallen behind,” Williams said. “That’s a lot of the reason that I think we need better leadership here.”

Later in the town hall, he addressed the subject again when he discussed the money that was spent against him in the primary and general elections. While outside groups from both parties invested in the general election contest, Williams was outraised by Democratic candidate Francis Conole.

Despite his opponents having financial advantages, he won the primary and general elections.

Williams dismissed the criticism of how he is financing his 2024 reelection campaign. Since taking office in January, he has raised more than $1 million for his reelection bid.

“Frankly, it’s pretty empty to be accused of outside money when you see the extraordinary money that flows through our politics, where it comes from and if you’re concerned about that issue truly instead of some attack point, then I encourage you to look where all the money comes from for our elections,” he said. “I’m actually the cheapest congressman you’ll ever get.”

NY-22 is a top target for House Democrats hoping to retake the majority in 2024. Three Democrats — Clemmie Harris, Sarah Klee Hood and state Sen. John Mannion — are vying for the party’s nomination to challenge Williams next year.”

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