Ct 2nd District, Campaign Fund Raising Report
The campaign fund raising reports are in. The incumbent Joe Courtney not surprisingly has a considerable lead with 1.3$ Million on hand.
The 3 Republican challengers have reported raising less than 20K$ each. The 3 Republican challengers will square off in a Primary on August 10th. The winner will face the well funded Joe in the general election.
At this point during the last election Republican Sean Sullivan had well over $150,000 on hand. But he did not face a primary nor did he have 2 challengers competing for the same conservative dollars.
Donors to the Republican cause are probably hanging back and keeping their powder dry. After the primary and a sole Republican is selected to face Joe Courtney the funding raising will pick up, will it match Joe’s 1.3$M? Most likely not, Joe Courtney has the incumbent’s fund raising advantage and has received considerable funds from outside the 2nd Ct District. Joe Courtney’s “play along to get along” strategy of voting close to the Democrat line has served Joe Courtney’s fund raising efforts well. The Republicans note that Joe Courtney has voted with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over 97%. How that will play in Eastern Connecticut has yet to be seen. But it is the battle cry of the 2nd District GOP.
Money the “Mother’s Milk of Politics” continues to be a closely watched indicator of how a candidate plays in their district.
Novak who has been on the trail for well over a year has not had much success raising funds, as one Republican central committee member said to me, “you could raise more money accidentally online than she has”.
Peckinpaugh whose late entry into the race brought much anticipation that her name recognition would cause the money to flow and build a campaign war chest that could challenge Joe Courtney’s millions. However this has not been the case. If Peckinpaugh can not make a strong showing in the bank account her reasoning for the campaign is in question.
Dubitsky a Farmer Lawyer made a strong showing at the GOP Convention coming within a few votes of taking the endorsement from Novak. At that convention Peckinpaugh’s strategy was gather enough votes to primary (15%) once she achieved that level she bolted the Convention room and found a camera. Hey do what you do best! Many of the Peckinpaugh supporters switched their votes to Dubitsky once Peckinpaugh’s name had been removed from the ballot. (After multiple ballots the rules call for candidates to be dropped from the ballot and the field narrowed down, otherwise balloting could take forever without resolution, however Peckinpaugh did qualify for the August Primary and is on the ballot.)
Dubitsky up to the Convention ran a very targeted campaign and continues to do so. His message of limited government and a government living within our means is being well received.
Novak continues to court the Tea Party vote and tout her experience in Washington DC as an Asian Expert in the State Department.
