Democrats hold a substantial fundraising edge in the U.S. House and Senate races involving Fairfield County with less than 100 days till Election Day and just two weeks till the state”™s congressional primary.
Rep. Chris Murphy, a Cheshire Democrat running to replace retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman, raised more money than each of his three opponents in the first half of 2012 and entered July having accumulated $3.1 million in campaign funds.
Between April 25 and June 30, Murphy reported raising nearly $1.1 million in total contributions, not including loans, according to Federal Election Commission filings, bringing his fundraising total for the first six months of 2012 to more than $2 million.
Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the Senate, had $1.46 million in campaign funds as of June 30, largely from loans she made to her own campaign.
McMahon, a Greenwich resident, reported operating expenditures of nearly $6.75 million for the first half of 2012 compared to total contributions of $316,916.
Also seeking the Senate nomination are Susan Bysiewicz, a Middletown Democrat and former Connecticut Secretary of State, who raised $715,147 between Jan. 1 and June 30 and reported $919,439 in available funds; and former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays, a Bridgeport Republican, who raised $988,224 during the same period and reported $326,733 in available funds.
In the House races for the 3rd and 4th Districts ”“ which each include parts of Fairfield County ”“ Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Rep. Jim Himes, the incumbents, each hold a commanding lead over their Republican opponents.
DeLauro, a New Haven resident, raised $345,337 between Jan. 1 and June 30 and had $92,604 in funds entering July. Republican Wayne Winsley, a professional speaker, author and broadcaster who is challenging the 11-term incumbent, netted just $22,529 in contributions over the same period, and had $5,685 in available funds through June 30.
In the 4th District, Himes, of Greenwich, had just under $1.7 million in campaign funds after raising $942,655 in the first six months of 2012. He is opposed by former Quintel Technology Ltd. CEO Steve Obsitnik of Westport, who raised $473,500 and had $654,241 in available funds through the first half of 2012.
In the hotly contested 5th District, three Democrats and four Republicans are vying for the seat that is being vacated by Murphy.
Cheshire attorney Elizabeth Esty led her Democratic foes with $708,443 in contributions in the first half of 2012, while State Senator Andrew Roraback topped his Republican opponents with $298,938 over the same period.
Also running for Congress in the 5th District are Chris Donovan, speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives; Dan Roberti, a public relations executive; Justin Bernier, former executive director of the Connecticut Office of Military Affairs; Mark Greenberg, founder and president of Mark Greenberg Real Estate, and Lisa Wilson-Foley, an entrepreneur in the health care field.
With two weeks to go till the state”™s congressional primary, local businesses and business owners are taking a wait-and-see approach while trying to work with both parties, said Joe Brennan, senior vice president for public policy at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.
“A lot of the small to midsized companies we work with, they will generally open their doors to candidates on both sides of the aisle and explain the issues they are facing,” Brennan said. “Probably the vast majority of companies don”™t get heavily involved.”
He said businesses likely divide their attention between the statewide races and the federal elections.
“Broadly, there is a lot of concern about overall fiscal policy and the fiscal health of the United States,” he said. “It”™s about us having to position ourselves to be as competitive as possible.”
Notably, several of the state”™s Democratic candidates have benefitted from the support of political action committees and other committees that are not party affiliated.
Murphy tallied $446,475 in donations from such committees in the first half of 2012, while Himes received $316,100.
In the 3rd and 5th Districts, DeLauro and Donovan were also the beneficiaries of political committees, taking in $177,202 and $106,833 respectively in the first six months of 2012.
On the Republican side, Shays received $49,630 in such contributions during the first half of the year.
