(Updated) The first set of January campaign finance reports for the state’s gubernatorial candidates is beginning to trickle in and the newcomers to the race seem to be setting a pretty good pace.
Ned Lamont, one of the eight Democratic candidates exploring a run for governor officially entered the race on Nov. 4 and raised $77,224.15 from 658 donors. The average contribution was $117 and of the contributors, 495 were Connecticut residents and 343 are considered “qualifying contributions” under state finance laws, according to a campaign press release.
And even though he hasn’t committed to the public campaign finance system, Lamont’s campaign said he limited contributions to $375 per individual and refused contributions from lobbyists, state contractors, and political action committees.
Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, who officially entered the race on Dec. 3 raised $67,073.
In less than one month, Fedele received qualifying contributions from 729 individuals, but since he’s already a candidate the maximum contribution his campaign can receive is $100.
State Sen. Gary LeBeau, D-East Hartford, raised $8,000 in addition to the more than $25,000 he had already raised. First Selectman Rudy Marconi raised $54,000 and has about $7,000 on hand at the end of the reporting period.
Former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy raised $70,142. Since forming his exploratory committee Malloy has raised a total of $443,250, which far exceeds the $250,000 necessary to qualify for the $1 million state grant.
In this recent filing period, Malloy received contributions from 518 individuals. 2,103 people have now contributed to his committee since it was formed last year, with 1,006 total qualifying contributions toward public campaign financing.
The last report filed by former House Speaker James Amann was back in October and it showed he had raised about $15,000 and had about $2,165 on hand at the end of that period. Amann’s January report is not online yet.
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, who has been the frontrunner in recent polls, raised $126,255 this quarter. Bysiewicz, who is considering jumping into the race for attorney general, had raised a total of $465,870 and had $239,209 on hand at the end of the reporting period. Bysiewicz and Malloy are closest to the $250,000 qualifying amount.
It should be noted that even though candidates in the exploratory phase can receive $375 contributions, only contributions of $100 or less count toward the qualifying amount.
Democratic First Selectman Mary Glassman and Juan Figueroa, former president of the Universal Health Care Foundation announced their candidacy after the filing period. And Republican Tom Foley has already said he won’t participate in the public campaign finance system and contributed $2 million of his own money to his campaign. Foley also raised $64,175 from individuals during this last reporting period.