Paltry donations to Cuomo from WNY

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Governor Andrew Cuomo has invested a lot of political capital — to say nothing of state tax dollars, starting with the Buffalo Billion — in Western New York. But an analysis by Investigative Post has found he’s not getting much love in return from local campaign donors.

As first reported in our Money in Politics, and reported Wednesday on WGRZ, Cuomo’s campaign committee has raised $38.4 million statewide since 2017, which includes his last run for governor. Only $576,945 came from donors in Western New York. That’s only 1.5 percent of total donations.

Investigative Post found one donor — developer Michael Joseph, his wife and LLCs they own — gave Cuomo $150,000. Other large donors include those in real estate, health care and law. Another donor of note: former Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello, now a lobbyist, who gave $19,500.

Notably absent from the donor list is Howard Zemsky, the governor’s former economic development czar and longtime political ally, who was a big contributor in the past.

The Investigative Post analysis found practically no small donors giving to the governor’s campaign committee. Donations under $500 accounted for less than 1 percent of the governor’s haul from local donors.

A complete list of Cuomo’s large donors from Western New York can be found here, along with a related podcast.