Where Upper East Siders Are Donating The Most To Candidates

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — With just under four months to go before the city primary elections in June, a new map shows where New Yorkers are donating to their preferred candidates — and Upper East Siders are among the city's biggest spenders.

The interactive map, released last week by the city's Campaign Finance Board and the Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center, shows contributions for all of this year's races, including mayor, comptroller, city council and borough president.

Broken down by ZIP code, several areas on the Upper East Side emerge as some of the city's highest-spending. In 10021, residents have given more than $654,000, trailing only two ZIP codes on the Upper West Side.

The data can be broken down even further, including by election district, which shows a nearly block-level view of New Yorkers' spending. Unsurprisingly, the Upper East Side's most generous donors are concentrated in the blocks along Fifth Avenue, home to some of the city's wealthiest residents.

The Upper East Side's highest-spending election district spans eight blocks between East 60th and 64th streets, and Fifth and Park avenues. Residents there have already spent over $134,000 on this year's elections, with an average donation of $1,635.

Here are more insights from the maps, which show money raised through Jan. 15:

McGuire, Donovan get support in mayor's race

Broken down by candidate, the map shows which contenders for the mayor's office are enjoying Upper East Siders' support.

The neighborhood's strongest fundraiser so far has been Ray McGuire, the Wall Street-backed former finance executive who has gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars from residents along Fifth, Madison and Park avenues.

The map also shows pockets of Upper East Side support for Shaun Donovan, a former cabinet secretary under President Barack Obama, and Comptroller Scott Stringer, although the Upper West Side native has done better on the other side of Central Park. (Andrew Yang, who announced his campaign last month, filed too late to appear in this round of campaign data.)

Menin leads money race among council candidates

In the District 5 City Council race, the biggest fundraiser has been Julie Menin, the city's outgoing census czar.

All six major candidates, however, have raised the bulk of their money outside the district — including Menin, who has drawn significant support from residents who live closer to Central Park in neighboring District 4, the map shows.

Kallos dominates UES in borough president race

In one of the map's most unsurprising findings, Ben Kallos, who currently represents much of the neighborhood in the City Council, has dominated the Upper East Side's fundraising in the race for Manhattan Borough President.

Kallos, running to succeed Gale Brewer, has raised upwards of $100,000 in the neighborhood. But Uptown Councilmember Mark Levine, who has the most overall money in the race, also enjoys some support on the Upper East Side, where he has received more than $35,000.

Explore the interactive campaign finance map here.

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