With less than four months until Election Day, the candidates running for mayor of Binghamton publicly released campaign fundraising data. State law required the publishing of these July periodic reports, which contain lists of individual donors and paid campaign expenses.

According to the New York Board of Elections, Democrat Miles Burnett raised $76,340 from 397 individual donors, as of July 11, since he entered the mayoral race in February. Burnett ended with $67,431 after the campaign spent $8,909 on expenses.

After starting with $12,276 in January, incumbent Mayor Jared Kraham received $50,227 over the past six months and ended with $49,257.
In a July 16 press release, the Burnett campaign attributed its fundraising advantage to its community outreach and focus on issues like affordability and youth services.

“Every day, our campaign is out meeting people where they are at, hearing their concerns and ideas for how we can build a better Binghamton for everyone,” Burnett said. “This filing is more than a number: it shows that people are hungry for a new vision for our community and a change to the status quo.”

Benji Federman, chair of the Broome County Republicans, criticized Burnett for accepting a donation from the owner of Maryam’s Taste of Halal, a popular late-night spot for students and community members. In April, state officials issued a violation against the store after several underage individuals reportedly became sick from eating cannabis gummies.

Additionally, Federman said in a statement to Binghamton Homepage that Burnett was “dodging questions on his inexperience and past campaign finance violations.”

Maryam Grocery LLC and the store’s owner made two separate $1,300 donations to the Burnett campaign on June 18.

An individual can make a maximum one-time donation of $1,351 to a candidate running for office in the city of Binghamton, according to the Broome County Board of Elections. Members of a candidate’s family can donate higher amounts. The individual donation limit varies based on the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction.

“Rather than attacking one of our city’s small business owners, who clearly did not violate the contribution limit as stated on page 30 in the NYS Campaign Finance handbook, Kraham should be addressing the serious issues facing Binghamton,” Karen Beebe, chair of the Broome County Democrats, said in a statement responding to Federman.

Burnett also received a $1,300 donation from The Grove LLC, a bar located next to Maryam’s run by the same owner. Another $1,300 came from Yams Grocery LLC, which was established by the same owner as Maryam’s in 2023, though the donation came from a different individual.

Several local organizations also donated to Kraham’s re-election bid. In March, the Binghamton Professional Firefighters Association gave $1,000 to the campaign. The group also endorsed Kraham in a July Facebook post.

The Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, an organization representing more than 800 businesses and nonprofits in the region, donated $100 to Kraham’s campaign on March 28.

Several labor unions weighed into the mayoral race. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 158 donated $1,000 and $500 toward Kraham’s reelection. The New York State Laborers Political Action Committee, a non-partisan group that supports political candidates who fight for labor rights, gave $100 to Burnett’s campaign.

The next mandatory filing date for both candidates is October 3.