Election officials disbursed $43,731 in public matching funds to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s gubernatorial campaign on Wednesday, according to a release.
Candidates could receive a maximum of $5.5 million in the primary under the matching funds program. Baraka has received $4,663,026, or about 85% of the cap. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop have hit the cap.
State Sen. Jon Bramnick has reached about 60% of the cap, while conservative radio personality Bill Spadea sits at about 52% of the cap.
ELEC has now disbursed a total of $38.3 million in public matching funds for the primary.
Under New Jersey’s public financing program, first enacted during the state’s 1977 elections, candidates for governor are eligible to receive $2 for every $1 they raise, as long as they both meet a minimum threshold of $580,000 raised and don’t go over a spending cap of $8.7 million. (More public funds are available for Sherrill and Ciattarelli, who won their respective primaries.)
Candidates have until Nov. 5 to file for additional matching funds. Candidates don’t have any more spending to do in the primary, but there are sometimes campaign debts to pay off. At the end of last month, Baraka’s campaign reported $99,275 in debt; since that filing, he’s received about $88,000 in matching funds.
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