Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2014 campaign committee, sitting on more than $20 million in cash for a re-election effort two years away, is writing checks to Democratic committees in mostly rural and Republican-heavy counties, according to Board of Elections records.

Cuomo 2014 wrote checks to committees in Chenango, Franklin, Essex, Greene, Saratoga, Cayuga, Jefferson and Cayuga counties, mostly for $100, $200 or $250 amounts between August and December, with the bulk of the contributions recorded around Election Day.

“My sense is he supports good government at the county level and has always seen upstate as an important area,” said Greene County Democratic Chairwoman Doreen Davis in a phone interview.

Her committee received two contributions from Cuomo 2014 totaling $400.

Davis said it’s difficult for both Republicans and Democrats to recruit candidates on the local level and donations like Cuomo’s help to build resources.

“We always reach out frankly to the fellow Democrats in the state to support our candidates,” she said.

Cuomo’s campaign so far this year has not donated directly to state or local candidates, though he did robocall on behalf of several congressional hopefuls and made several endorsements in state Senate races for Democratic Sen. Joe Addabbo,  Republican incumbent Stephen Saland and IDC Democratic Sen. David Carlucci.

In 2011, he did donate to several candidates for the Westchester County Board of Legislators, Broome County executive candidate Pat Brennan and to the Bronx Democratic Committee – II, giving $1,000.

Cuomo, an unabashed car enthusiast, in May of this year contributed $300 to the Automobile Dealers of New York Political Action Committee.

Updated: The donation to the automobile PAC actually appears to be a donation from the committee to Cuomo, but somewhere along the way was recorded incorrectly.

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