Democratic guberantorial nominee Barbara Buono is poised to submit over $445,000 in donations to qualify for the state’s matching funds program, according to a source familiar with her fundraising efforts.
The amount is about $65,000 more than the $380,000 necessary to qualify for the matching funds program, which provides Buono $2 for every $1 raised. The state does not match the first $122,000 in donations, so her efforts will net her about an additional $650,000.
The submission is Buono’s first of the general election. During the primary, Buono participated in the program, raising about $1.1 million and receiving about $1.8 million from the state match.
The state caps the matching program at $4.2 million, which would give Buono just over $12 million to spend in the general election contest.
Buono’s opponent, Republican Gov. Chris Christie, has not yet said if he will participate in the program after declining it in the primary. But speculation has grown that Christie, who is closing in on the $4.2 million cap already, might save himself time and effort by taking part, leaving himself little to do in the fall but campaign.
The Christie camp was quick to jump on the number pointing out that it is well off the pace needed to hit the maximum matched amount of $4.2 million. In order to hit that number before November, Buono would need to up her weekly pace by nearly six times to $290,000 per week. So far she’s raised under $50,000 per week in the general election.
