The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Murphy’s star power has pull
Senator attracts Hollywood attention
If you need proof of Sen. Chris Murphy’s national star power, look no further than his campaign contributions.
Actress Meryl Streep and her husband gave $5,400 to Murphy’s campaign this election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Rosie O’Donnell, listed as a self-employed comic, contributed $1,000.
Fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg handed the Connecticut Democrat $5,400. “NCIS” star Sam Waterston gave him $3,500. Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh tossed $1,200 to the campaign.
Celebrities aren’t the only ones dishing out cash to Murphy, who is running for a second Senate term, but is rumored to be a possible 2020 presidential candidate.
Billionaire Hamilton James, executive vice president of the juggernaut investment firm Blackstone Group, contributed $5,400. Walter Robb, a co-CEO of Whole Foods, sent $5,000 to Murphy. And former New York governor Eliot Spitzer gave $5,400.
None of these individuals live in Connecticut.
Even for the average Joe, Murphy’s campaign appeals across the nation. The senator collected $5.8 million from people in 46 out of 50 states, plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, this election cycle, according to FEC data.
He also received contributions from individuals in London, Hong Kong, Toronto, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Bordeaux.
“Chris is proud of the incredible grassroots support he's received from folks around Connecticut and across the country,” said Jenna Lowenstein, Murphy’s campaign manager. “He's received more than 210,000 donations from people who have been inspired to chip in after seeing him stand up and fight for Connecticut values like keeping kids safe from gun violence and ensuring everyone has access to health care.”
She pointed out that most of his contributions were $100 or less.
Now Murphy is ranked No. 15 of all senators and Senate candidates, for most contributions raised this election cycle, according to the FEC.
His activism around gun control has propelled him into a national political figure, said Geoffrey Skelley, associate editor of political newsletter “Sabato’s Crystal Ball,” from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
As the Parkland school shooting was unfolding in February, Murphy spoke out against gun violence on the Senate floor. In 2016, he garnered national attention when he filibustered for 15 hours to prompt a Senate vote on gun control measures.
“Ever since the Newtown massacre, he has become a notable spokesperson on behalf of increased gun control in the country,” Skelley said. “It is one of the reasons people view him as a potential dark horse presidential candidate.”
Murphy also knows how to put in the elbow grease to earn supporter’s dollars, said Stu Rothenberg, senior editor of the political newsletter “Inside Elections.”
A campaign manager before he launched his own bid for office, Murphy ran Charlotte Koskoff's unsuccessful 1996 campaign for the House of Representatives in what was then Connecticut’s 6th Congressional District. He then served eight years in the Connecticut General Assembly and three terms in Congress before running for the Senate in 2012.
In his first race for U.S. Senate, Murphy collected $10.3 million in total contributions, just north of the $9.5 million in contributions he has received since January 2017 alone, FEC data shows.
“Chris Murphy is a real nuts and bolts guy,” Rothenberg said. “He knows how to put together campaigns and fundraising operations.”
A national profile
It doesn’t hurt that Connecticut — which handed him $2.8 million in individual contributions alone — is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, Rothenberg said. The state also borders the liberal bastions and massive media markets of New York — individuals there gave him $1.1 million, the most of any state after Connecticut — and Massachusetts — where residents coughed up $146,000.
In total, just under half of Murphy’s individual campaign contributions and transfers came from people outside of Connecticut: $2.3 out of $5.1 million, according to FEC data.
That’s not unusual, experts say. In fact, many senators gather as much as 90 percent of their campaign dollars outside their state or district, said Jennifer Duffy, senior editor for the Cook Political Report.
“Murphy’s out-of-state percentage is actually lower than some senators,” she said.
Alabama Democrat Doug Jones, who upset Roy Moore, the GOP Senate hopeful dogged by a sex abuse scandal, is the biggest fundraiser in the Senate. He collected nearly $20 million in out-of-state dollars since 2017, compared to $3.7 million in Alabama, according to the FEC.
Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the second largest Senate fundraiser, drew more than $15 million in out-of-state money, compared to $2.4 million in her state.
As for celebrity money, a vast majority of stars are Democrats, Duffy said, while many businessmen lean Republican — with the exception of Silicon Valley execs and startup CEOs. Famous Democrats may be especially keen to give their money to Murphy because of his gun control activism, she said.
“Hollywood and politics have a long history with one another,” Skelley said.
Murphy declined to comment on whether he knew any of the celebrities who contributed to his campaign.
An abundance of cash
Murphy’s campaign had $7.7 million in cash on hand — the most in the Connecticut delegation — as of April 28, the FEC reports. His stuffed campaign wallet gives him a significant edge, in addition to his incumbent status and name recognition, over Republican challengers Matthew Corey and Dominic Rapini.
GOP nominee Corey, a Hartford pub and window washing service owner, has raised $15,229 and had $13,336 in cash on hand as of April, based on FEC numbers. Rapini, an Apple national accounts manager, has fared better with $116,975 raised and $47,517 cash on hand.
Murphy declined to say what he may do with the millions that he likely will not need in the race against Corey and Rapini. Under federal campaign finance law, candidates can save residual funds for future campaigns or give money to charity.
They can also make contributions to other federal or state candidates — a way of building political IOUs that could come in handy in the future, Rothenberg said.