ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 30 (UPI) -- New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from developers and other real estate interests, records show.
The industry, including lobbyists and construction executives, is Cuomo's biggest single source of donations, about one-fifth of the total, The New York Times reported Friday. He has received $18 million in campaign cash in the past three years, five times the amount received by Gov. David Paterson.
Cuomo, son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, is expected to challenge Paterson in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
"Cuomo got a ton of money from people working in the real estate sector," Bill Mahoney, research coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group, said. "You don't usually see numbers that high coming from one business sector to one particular candidate, especially as someone who raises as much money as he did. It's definitely not the norm."
Many of Cuomo's contributors have suffered financial reverses recently, the Times said. His office is also swamped with complaints against developers.
