Buoyed by PAC Money, Ed Towns Amps Up Fundraising

It looks like longtime Brooklyn Congressman Ed Towns really is running for reelection after all — with a big leg up from friendly political action committees.

Towns raised nearly $236,000 over the past three months, and now has $162,000 in cash on hand, after having only $11,000 on hand three months ago. That had caused doubts about whether Towns would really run for re-election.

By comparison, one of his two opponents, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, raised $105,000 over he past three months, and has $236,000 on hand. The second opponent, Councilman Charles Barron, who declared his candidacy more recently, just reported raising nearly $18,000 and having nearly $16,000 on hand.

Of Towns’ fundraising the past three months, $158,000 came from political action committees, while only $70,000 came from individuals. Much of the PAC money came from telecommunications firms and the health care industry.

Towns’ burn rate remains unusually high for nearly a year before the election — he spent $86,000 over the past three months, much of which went to fundraising expenses.