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Gov. Andrew Cuomo participated in a closed-door fundraiser Friday for the Democratic Governors Association, where his appearance fetched a reported $50,000 a seat for the organization.

Crain's Insider this morning has an interesting piece up that looks at the practice of bundling among the likely 2013 Mayoral candidates. As you may recall, Comptroller John Liu has been in the crosshairs with editorial boards and reporters after the most recent campaign bundler--a person who recruits donors for a campaign--was arrested by the Feds for illegally funneling large sums into Liu's war chest.

But, as Crain's Insider reporters Jeremy Smerd and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh report, Liu is not alone. They take aim at former city Comptroller and 2009 Democratic Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio in particular for what they say are improbably low numbers of bundlers.

Campaign Finance Board filings show a mere nine bundlers who have raised just $38,825 of the nearly $3 million de Blasio has brought in during his past two campaigns. Thompson has reported 11 bundlers contributing $128,733 of the $6.5 million he's amassed in two runs for mayor.

In contrast, Council Speaker Chris Quinn has listed 107 bundlers contributing nearly $1.9 million. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's 114 reported bundlers have raised $994,363.

Political fundraisers and campaign finance experts question the number of intermediaries reported by de Blasio and Thompson. “It's just not possible,” said one who has worked on a number of citywide races. “To raise millions of dollars with so few bundlers—it's an impossible feat.”

De Blasio in particular appears to have under-reported his bundlers. According to the article, his campaign will be revising their filings, adding around 20 new bundlers. There has been no indication of malfeasance or illegal behavior by any of the other 2013 hopefuls' donors, but the reality is that the process of bundling--and the outsized cash it can create thanks to the city's generous public financing of campaigns--is now receiving much greater scrutiny than before.

The New York Times City Hall bureau chief David Chen updates the news about federal investigations of New York City comptroller (and 2013 mayoral hopeful) John Liu's campaign fund-raising. 

New Jersey Republicans raised almost $2.5 million in the first half of 2011, beating their Democratic counterparts by a margin of more than 2-to-1. It's hard to understate Governor Chris Christie's influence on these numbers—mere speculation about a presidential run is a guaranteed money-maker.

Democratic candidate David Weprin's campaign says his campaign anticipates reaching the $550,000 mark before the filing deadline tonight. They say that's more than three times what the Turner campaign has raised.

“Our message about protecting middle class families and fighting for Medicare and Social Security is clearly resonating with voters,” Weprin said in a statement. “I’m very grateful for this outpouring of financial support, which will help me bring this critical fight to Washington.  I intend to ride this momentum all the way to victory on September 13th.”

President Barack Obama comes to the city Thursday evening to do some fundraising. In addition to appearing at an LBGT gala hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris, the president will stop by the Broadway Theater to speak after a show of "Sister Act."

More than a week after the March 11 earthquake hit, eyes, hearts and browser windows have been trained on Japan. Here is a list of events happening around the city to raise funds.

On Tuesday, the Mayor's charitable organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, announced that it will invite 250 arts organizations to apply for $32 million in funding as part of an "Arts Advancement Initiative."

Susan Baker, the chairwoman of New York City Opera who presided over a turbulent period that included the ill-fated hiring of Gerard Mortier as general manager, will step down in December, the company announced Thursday. Baker, who is 59, has been chairwoman since 2003. Charles R. Wall, a former tobacco company lawyer who served on City Opera's board of directors from 2001 to 2008, will succeed her as chairman.

A former fundraiser for President Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Senator John Kerry has pleaded guilty in a federal bank fraud case.