Ex-rapper Dem raised $3.8M for campaign against Republican

WASHINGTON — First-time congressional candidate and former rapper Antonio Delgado raised an eye-popping $3.8 million in the third quarter in his bid to defeat incumbent GOP Rep. John Faso.

Records show Faso took in about $1 million during the same three-month period.

The two men are locked in one of the most competitive House races in the nation — the 19th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region.

Democrats say they need to flip the seat to win back control of the House in November.

Delgado, a Harvard Law School graduate and Rhodes Scholar who once pursued a rap career as A.D. The Voice, credits the fundraising haul to individual enthusiasm for his race.

“People have been contributing because they want their elected official to represent their interests in Congress and not be beholden to corporate donors,” Delgado told The Post last week.

“We have taken a pledge not to take any corporate PAC money, unlike John Faso, and our campaign’s donations come from individuals who believe in our commitment to ensuring access to quality and affordable health care, real engagement and accountability.”

Faso said he’s used to being out-raised by liberal interests. In 2016, Democrat Zephyr Teachout raised more than $5 million in her unsuccessful bid against Faso, compared to his $3 million.

Faso proceeded to win his first term in Washington with 54 percent of the vote to Teachout’s 46 percent.

Faso, who served in the New York State assembly from 1987 to 2002, anticipated being the fundraising underdog again.

“I’m certain I will be out-funded by my opponents,” Faso told The Post last week.

“I think we’re going to win,” he added. “No matter how much money they spend, they still are not going to change the basic center-right political attitude of this district.”

Delgado’s filing with the Federal Election Commission shows nearly 8,800 itemized donation receipts, whereas Faso’s campaign reported just under 1,200 individual receipts.

The comparison is one snapshot into the fundraising disparity but does not capture the full number of individuals motivated to donate to each candidate since the FEC requires receipts only for individuals who contribute more than $200.