Tish’s cash trouble

Fundraising woes end James’ gov run

State Attorney General Letitia James pulled out of the governor’s race after failing to hit a $5 million fundraising ultimatum set by Democratic leaders in her Brooklyn hometown, multiple sources told The Post.

James dropped her short-lived campaign Thursday, after learning the Brooklyn Democratic Party would back incumbent Gov. Hochul in the 2022 contest if James couldn’t beef up stalled fundraising efforts, sources said.

“She was told she needed to have $5 million in the bank by January — otherwise we’re going with Hochul,” insisted a top Brooklyn Democratic operative.

It was unclear whether James — who’s never been known as a big fundraiser despite her political cachet — could have even pocketed $2 million in donations by year’s end, said another source.

As of July, James had $1.6 million on hand, according to her most recent campaign filing.

“She saw the writing on the wall that if she couldn’t even get Brooklyn’s support, this was a race she couldn’t win,” added the source.

Hochul’s campaign last month reported $11.1 million cash on hand, exceeding an earlier goal to bring in $10 million by the end of 2021.

A James spokeswoman adamantly denied any fundraising ultimatums were made, saying it is “complete fiction.” She refused to say how much James has raised for a gubernatorial bid.

State Assemblywoman Rodneyse

Bichotte Hermelyn, who chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party, also claimed the allegations raised by The Post’s sources “are completely untrue.”

“Tish James has long had the support of countless elected officials in Brooklyn, and the idea that future support would be contingent upon fundraising is as false as it is offensive,” Bichotte Hermelyn said in a statement.

Hochul, who made history by becoming New York’s first female governor in August after Andrew Cuomo resigned amid a sexual-harassment scandal, secured a lion’s share of bigshot Democratic donors even before James launched her campaign in late October.

“We locked up the establishment donors and supporters so fast that by the time she got to everyone it was over,” a person close to Hochul boasted to The Post.

At the time, James was touted a top contender, fresh off her office’s scathing report that helped drive Cuomo out of office, and she was seeking to make history of her own as New York’s first black female governor.

However, city-based Democratic operatives said James kept running into a common problem: Deeppocketed donors and bundlers couldn’t comprehend why she was taking on a fellow woman.

“She was expecting to get all these female bundlers behind her, but they were like, ‘We already have a woman governor,’” said one operative.

Melissa