Councilman Ritchie Torres has four times more money than his rivals in his run for the 15th Congressional District race, with $522,494 from 1,100, putting him ahead of his opponents by $400,000, according to campaign finance records.

This puts him at the top when it comes to fundraising, a move that could afford him building a greater campaign apparatus than his rivals.

But when it comes to the number of donors hailing from the Bronx, the bulk of those donors went to fund the campaign of Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., according to an analysis of the figures.

Torres’ total is four times more than his 2020 contender and Assemblyman Michael Blake. Though he doubles as vice chair for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which would offer him greater exposure than his opponents, Blake raked in $120,941 from 308 donors during the first quarter, covering April to June. Diaz Sr. raised $80,076, $10,000 of which came directly from Diaz Sr.’s personal funds.

Meantime, the majority of donors for Torres had the job title of consultant, attorney, or real estate. The bulk of Diaz Sr.’s donors were ministers. Blake did receive support from his fellow DNC chair Tom Perez, who donated $500.

On top of Perez, a number of heavy hitters contributed to Blake’s first quarter, including Aarti Tandon CEO of Citizen Eight, Marc Jerome President of Monroe College, Matthew Barzun, the former finance Chair for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, and Jay Jacobs, current chair of the Nassau County Democratic Committee. 

Five of Torres’s top ten donors have links to the construction/development and financial services industries, two are PACS, one works for Amazon while another is a self-employed liquor store owner. They include Donald Sussman, a Florida-based hedge fund manager who sites on the board of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, who contributed the $5,600.

Borough support, according to the preliminary figures, goes to Diaz Sr., who grabbed 96 donors versus 10 and 67 votes respectively for Blake and Torres, indicating more support for Diaz Sr. in his hometown.

But Diaz Sr. did not receive family support. His son, Bronx Borough President and mayoral contender Ruben Diaz Jr., did not donate to his father’s campaign.

The funding will help the candidates build an apparatus as they enter what will likely be a contentious race for the seat that’s long been held by Congressman Jose Serrano, who’s held it since 1990.