The Bar Association of Erie County recently gave incumbent Justices Tracey A. Bannister and Craig Hannah the highest designations, rating them both "outstanding." Courtesy photos

As a bar association in Western New York suggests that voters bypass attorney Joseph Lorigo for one of five state Supreme Court 8th Judicial District seats, the Conservative Party candidate's campaign has nonetheless raised considerable sums of money in recent weeks.

Six candidates are running: incumbent Justices Tracey A. Bannister and Craig Hannah, an appointed trial court judge, Buffalo City Court Judge Shannon Heneghan, all Democrats; Boston Town Justice Kelly Vacco, and attorney Gerald J. Greenan III, who are Republicans; and Lorigo.

According to state campaign finance records that were updated last week, Lorigo's 32-day pre-election report began with a zero balance, but has since received more than $155,000 in contributions and another $96,000 in miscellaneous receipts.

With expenses of $19,386, just a fraction of what the campaign took in, Lorigo's war chest has swelled to a balance of $232,098.

"Being a judicial candidate, I'm not really supposed to speak to individual donors or anything like that," Lorigo, who practices in West Seneca, said. "But my campaign finance committee has done a good job raising the funds. I think it shows that there's broad support out there for my candidacy."

A leader of the minority caucus in the Erie County Legislature, Lorigo is the son of Ralph C. Lorigo, the longtime chairman of the Erie County Conservative party.

The candidate's father contributed $25,000 to the campaign on Sept. 29.

The Lorigo campaign, records show, received a $500 contribution from Erie County Family Court Judge Deanne Tripi, who had contemplated a run for a Supreme Court seat, but was not nominated.

Heneghan's campaign balance sheet has also been active.

During the same reporting cycle, Heneghan's campaign ran up $170,888 in spending, leaving her with a balance of $38,082. Her campaign received a $100,000 loan in June.

Heneghan's campaign paid $150,000 in two installments last month to Deep Blue Politics LLC, a Rochester political consulting firm and advertising agency that helps Democratic candidates and "has played a vital role in the success of candidates campaigning for public office across the United States," according to its website.

Heneghan could not be reached for comment Thursday.

In contrast to the two well-financed campaigns, the Committee to Re-elect Justice Bannister spent just over $2,200 the past month, and her campaign has a remaining balance of $1,046.

There were no campaign finance records on the state's online database for Hannah, Vacco or Grennan.

Financial backing, at least for Lorigo, hasn't translated to a recommendation from the Bar Association of Erie County.

The bar recently gave Bannister and Hannah the highest designations, rating them both "outstanding," and Heneghan and Vacco well-qualified.

Lorigo and Greenan were not recommended by the bar, which conducted the ratings in a nonpartisan manner.

Its evaluation process measured integrity, experience, professional ability, education, reputation, industry, temperament, fairness, statutory standards, attitude, punctuality, and knowledge of the law. Candidates were asked to complete a written questionnaire and interview.

The evaluating committee consisted of 29 lawyers, with no more than 14 from a single political party. At least nine new lawyers join the committee each year, the association said.

Lorigo's campaign dismissed the Erie County bar's rating.

"The only people whose voices matter in electing judges are voters; not insiders who meet in secret and ignore the will of those voters," the campaign said in a statement.

Bannister was elected a justice of the state Supreme Court in 2008, and in November 2019, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed her to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department.