Falling behind his opponents in fundraising, state Rep. Josh Elliott said he will drop his bid to unseat Gov. Ned Lamont if he cannot raise the necessary funds by mid-April.
Unlike some challengers, Elliott faces a new, inflation-adjusted threshold that requires him to raise $335,000 to qualify for public financing in the governor’s race. That number was adjusted and increased last week under state law, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission, which oversees the law.
Two Republicans in the race, former New Britain mayor Erin Stewart and state Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich, needed to raise $250,000 as they beat the deadline before the threshold was boosted, officials said. Any newcomers in the race, including former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey of Greenwich and former state Rep. Harry Arora of Greenwich, would need to meet the same $335,000 threshold as Elliott.
“If it’s not possible to raise the money, there is no campaign,” Elliott told The Courant in an interview. “I’m letting people know if they want the primary, I will give them the primary, but only if I have the funding, which is why it’s really important that people contribute. So that’s my pitch. Even if they don’t want me to win, but they think that a primary is good for the party, I’m telling people that they should contribute.”
He added, “I’m not going to try to force something that doesn’t exist. Now, if I’m at $300,000 and I haven’t raised the full amount, there’s some various scenarios. There’s still shades of gray there. Right now, it’s still mathematically possible. It’s full steam ahead. … Mid-to-late April is my own self-imposed deadline.”
Elliott, a liberal Democrat from Hamden who is challenging Lamont from the left on issues that include taxes and spending, is lagging far behind in the money race.
A Greenwich multimillionaire, Lamont spent more than $25 million of his own money in 2022 as he defeated Madison Republican Bob Stefanowski, a second-time candidate who spent $14.5 million of his own money in a losing effort. Overall, Lamont has spent more than $60 million of his own money in four statewide races that date back to 2006 when he lost the general election against U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.
Trying to catch up, Elliott says he has scheduled 80 meetings with local Democratic Town Committees between now and mid-April, including one to three meetings per night from Mondays to Fridays.
To date, he has raised more than $90,000 from about 1,000 contributors in a process that he said is “exceptionally hard.” Candidates must raise small-money donations at a maximum of $340, and $302,000 of the total must come from in-state contributions, according to the latest, updated figures.
Public financing is crucial in the governor’s race because it can provide candidates with about $3.2 million for the August primary and an overall total of more than $18 million. Those totals were boosted by the state legislature in an era when Lamont can spend more than $25 million on the race.
If he fails to raise the money for the governor’s race, Elliott said that he might run again for his legislative seat covering his hometown of Hamden that he has held since 2017.
Asked how he would predict his chances of returning to the state legislature in 2027, Elliott responded, “Who knows? No one knows.”
Republicans
Fazio said he has raised $272,000 so far, including $114,000 in the just-completed quarter and $157,000 in the previous quarter. His contributions must be verified by the State Elections Enforcement Commission before he becomes eligible for about $3.2 million for a primary, including about $800,000 in pre-convention money.
Stewart already qualified for the financing as the fastest candidate in state history to be certified in the gubernatorial race. At the Republican convention in mid-May at the Mohegan Sun casino, candidates will need 15% of the convention delegates to qualify for the August primary.
While Stewart was the first to be awarded the money by the elections commission, Fazio says that he raised more money than Stewart in fewer days.
Regarding the Republican side, Elliott said, “The more Greenwich money that wants to flow through our political system, it does make it more entertaining. … I look forward to a robust debate where they seek to out-MAGA each other and make themselves less and less hirable during the general election season.”
Christopher Keating can be reached at [email protected]