(Updated 11:22 a.m.) The Federal Election Commission reports for the three Democratic candidates vying for their parties nomination in the 5th Congressional District reveals at least two loaned their campaigns half a million dollars and one paid more than $35,000 for a forensic audit of his campaign’s finances.
Former State Rep. Elizabeth Esty, who is married to Environmental Commissioner Daniel C. Esty, loaned her campaign $500,000. Dan Roberti, the public relations executive from Kent whose father is a Washington D.C. lobbyist, loaned his campaign $580,000.
That leaves Esty with $857,550 cash on hand, and Roberti with about $380,000 cash on hand going into the Aug. 14 primary.
Chris Donovan’s campaign paid Blum Shapiro $35,753 for the addendum to former U.S. Attorney Stanley Twardy’s independent investigation following the arrest of his former finance director, Robert Braddock Jr. The receipt for Twardy and the nine individuals at Day & Pitney who worked on the investigation with him was not part of the report. Although there are some who have speculated the report will cost Donovan hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The recent report shows Donovan has about $377,060 leading up to the Aug. 14 primary. It’s unclear how much of that is available if he’s still waiting on the bill for the Twardy report.
The three Democrats meet for their last debate 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield.
On the Republican side, Lisa Wilson-Foley and Mark Greenberg, have been self-funding their campaigns since the beginning. Wilson-Foley has loaned her campaign about $685,000 through the end of July and Greenberg has loaned his campaign almost $1.4 million.
Greenberg has about $589,288 cash on hand going into the Aug. 14 primary and Wilson-Foley has about $220,000.
Sen. Andrew Roraback and Justin Bernier, who are not independently wealthy, bring up the rear in the fundraising race.
Rorback raised about $36,200 in the month of July and Bernier raised about $40.500.
That brings Roraback’s fundraising total up to about $572,000, and leaves him with about $148,000 cash on hand for the primary.
Roraback is the convention endorsed candidate, which may have helped boost his fundraising ability slightly, but he is still being heavily financially out-gunned by Wilson-Foley and Greenberg.
In his second run for the seat, Bernier found himself having a good fundraising month bringing in more than $40,500. Having lost his campaign manager and spokesman just two weeks before the primary, Bernier has an uphill battle. He had about $105,000 cash on hand at the end of July. It’s not enough to saturate the airwaves, but it doesn’t completely put him out of the running.