As Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell is ensnared in an e-mail controversy, the Democrats who are trying to get her job are out raising money as quickly as they can.
Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy is in the fundraising lead with $373,000 from almost 1,700 contributors, while Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has nearly $339,000 from 1,444 contributors.
Former House Speaker James Amann is lagging behind at about $63,000 overall, but he said that a direct comparison with Malloy and Bysiewicz is "apples and oranges" because of the complicated campaign finance rules.
As the only candidate in the race to officially declare that he is running for governor, Amann is permitted by law to accept a maximum donation of $100 per person. Since Malloy, Bysiewicz, and Rell are all operating under exploratory campaigns, they can accept maximum donations of $375 per person — more than triple the amount for Amann.
"I'm the poster boy for campaign finance," Amann said. "I think they've buffaloed a lot of people in the state of Connecticut, especially in the Democratic Party, that somehow they're raising money and Jim Amann isn't, which indicates that somehow they're leading. ... Let them try to buffalo everybody and maybe they'll buffalo them to the convention, but there is no doubt I'm going to qualify for a primary."
Roy Occhiogrosso, a spokesman for Malloy, said, "That's what someone says when they're having trouble raising money and generating support for their campaign."
Despite his low fundraising numbers, Amann says he intends to raise the necessary $250,000 to qualify for public financing — allowing him to run in a primary in August 2010. Malloy lost in a similar primary in 2006 to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, who later lost to Rell by 28 percentage points.
State Sen. Gary LeBeau of East Hartford, who entered the governor's race after the other major candidates, raised nearly $29,000 during the quarter and has more than $25,000 on hand.
Bysiewicz said that voters are interested in improving both the economy and the health care system, along with generating good-paying jobs.
"As I talk to Connecticut voters about our state's future, it's clear that we need bold, visionary leadership," she said.
Rell, who is expected by many Republicans to run, has raised more than $105,000 and has more than $82,000 on hand. She is running a sparse exploratory operation and has spent only $22,000 so far — less than a tenth of the $227,000 spent by Malloy. Despite Rell's public reticence about her plans, Republican State Chairman Christopher Healy said he expects that she will run.
Amann's report was not immediately available Wednesday, but he said that he has "probably around $2,000 or $3,000" on hand at the moment.
"I was taught in politics many moons ago that losers have money in their bank at the end of the campaign," Amann said. "You're not there to show everybody how much you have in your bank account."
Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy is in the fundraising lead with $373,000 from almost 1,700 contributors, while Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has nearly $339,000 from 1,444 contributors.
Former House Speaker James Amann is lagging behind at about $63,000 overall, but he said that a direct comparison with Malloy and Bysiewicz is "apples and oranges" because of the complicated campaign finance rules.
As the only candidate in the race to officially declare that he is running for governor, Amann is permitted by law to accept a maximum donation of $100 per person. Since Malloy, Bysiewicz, and Rell are all operating under exploratory campaigns, they can accept maximum donations of $375 per person — more than triple the amount for Amann.
"I'm the poster boy for campaign finance," Amann said. "I think they've buffaloed a lot of people in the state of Connecticut, especially in the Democratic Party, that somehow they're raising money and Jim Amann isn't, which indicates that somehow they're leading. ... Let them try to buffalo everybody and maybe they'll buffalo them to the convention, but there is no doubt I'm going to qualify for a primary."
Roy Occhiogrosso, a spokesman for Malloy, said, "That's what someone says when they're having trouble raising money and generating support for their campaign."
Despite his low fundraising numbers, Amann says he intends to raise the necessary $250,000 to qualify for public financing — allowing him to run in a primary in August 2010. Malloy lost in a similar primary in 2006 to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, who later lost to Rell by 28 percentage points.
State Sen. Gary LeBeau of East Hartford, who entered the governor's race after the other major candidates, raised nearly $29,000 during the quarter and has more than $25,000 on hand.
Bysiewicz said that voters are interested in improving both the economy and the health care system, along with generating good-paying jobs.
"As I talk to Connecticut voters about our state's future, it's clear that we need bold, visionary leadership," she said.
Rell, who is expected by many Republicans to run, has raised more than $105,000 and has more than $82,000 on hand. She is running a sparse exploratory operation and has spent only $22,000 so far — less than a tenth of the $227,000 spent by Malloy. Despite Rell's public reticence about her plans, Republican State Chairman Christopher Healy said he expects that she will run.
Amann's report was not immediately available Wednesday, but he said that he has "probably around $2,000 or $3,000" on hand at the moment.
"I was taught in politics many moons ago that losers have money in their bank at the end of the campaign," Amann said. "You're not there to show everybody how much you have in your bank account."
These 3 Democrats are union puppets.
mannybeingmanny (10/15/2009, 12:24 PM )