Brooklyn district attorney Charles Hynes got off to a slow fundraising start in his 2013 re-election bid, but two challengers including Kenneth Thompson reported six-figure hauls in 2012.

Hynes, a 77-year-old, six-term incumbent, raised $27,275 during the last six months of the year, giving him $373,165 in his war chest, according to a periodic campaign finance report filed Tuesday with the state Board of Elections.

The two challengers facing Hynes in the Democratic primary are Thompson, 46, and Abe George, 34, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan.

Thompson has raised more than $341,000 since his campaign kick-off event in December and has $264,252 on hand, according to campaign filings. A former federal prosecutor, Thompson made headlines when he filed a civil suit on behalf of hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo, who accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault. The case settled for an undisclosed sum.

George, who filed his campaign disclosure form on Tuesday, raised $210,000. He said the fundraising filings signal that Brooklyn is ready for a new DA.

�Hynes�s meager $27,000 disclosure shows that not only has he lost interest in being Brooklyn DA, but more importantly, that the people of Brooklyn have lost interest in him,� George said in an emailed statement. �People have made up their mind that they want change.�

Thompson�s campaign has some high-profile supporters, including Chris Rock Enterprises, a company founded by comedian Chris Rock, which contributed $5,000; the wife of actor Denzel Washington, Pauletta, who contributed $500; and lawyer Ted Wells of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, who contributed $5,000, according to campaign filings.

Thompson�s law partner, Douglas Wigdor, donated $30,000, according to the filing, and Thompson himself contributed $25,000. Their firm, Thompson Wigdor, kicked in an additional $5,000, the filings showed.

Thompson said in a statement that he hoped to capitalize on the early support to get his ideas across to voters before the election this fall. It is �humbling to have the tremendous support of so many people so fast,� he said.

One of George�s biggest supporters is David Boies of Boies Schiller & Flexner, who has contributed $45,000 and agreed to co-chair George�s campaign committee, George said in an email.

Meanwhile, Hynes�s filing showed a much smaller pool of contributors. One Manhattan law firm, Baratta Baratta Aidala, contributed $1,000. Hynes�s largest contribution from the last six months was $10,000 from Crown Acquisitions, a New York real estate firm.

A spokesman for Hynes�s campaign, George Arzt, said that Hynes has not done any fundraising since June and has been focusing on �doing the work of the DA, not raising money.�

�We�re about getting the job done, not glitz,� Arzt said.

(Reuters)