Connecticut’s top 100 presidential contributors

There’s some truth and good reasoning behind the conventional wisdom that Connecticut is a campaign’s cash cow.

As a whole, the Nutmeg state gave has given $3,544,496 to 2020 presidential campaigns, Federal Election Commission data shows.

Now when you rank the states from biggest contributors to lowest this year, Connecticut comes in at 19, way behind donor juggernauts like California, New York, Texas and Florida. But to be fair — with the exception of Washington, D.C. — states that are much more populous than Connecticut occupy spots one through 18.

This week, I took a somewhat scientific look at Connecticut’s biggest contributors to presidential campaigns this cycle. I reviewed a sample of 100 of the most generous financial backers to President Donald Trump and Democratic candidates Joseph R. Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Of all candidates running for president, those seven collected the most campaign cash from Connecticutians, FEC data shows.

Who are these big donors? There’s a few names you would probably recognize: Gov. Ned Lamont gave $3000 to Biden; Linda McMahon, former U.S. Small Business Administration chief, gave Trump $5,600; and Peter Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg, gave Buttigieg $5,600, FEC data shows.

In my sample of 100 top contributors, 30 were not employed or retired. Seventeen were selfemployed. Thirteen worked in the Csuite: chief executive officers, presidents, chairmen, founders, you get the picture. Medical professionals and attorneys each tied for seven. There were also a smattering of bankers, teachers, consultants, and even a songwriter, a sculptor and a personal stylist.

All of these individuals gave $2,800 or more one of the candidates. One Greenwich woman gave $5,200 to Warren and $2,800 to Booker.

The big (and unsurprising) takeaway for campaign fundraising heads is go to Greenwich for the big bucks. Thirtyseven of my top 100 contributors lived in Greenwich. That’s way, way, way more than any other town.

Several campaigns have already held fundraisers in Greenwich, so maybe it’s a bit of a selffulfilling prophecy. We count Biden , Buttigieg and Harris among the candidates who have personally fundraised in Greenwich or sent proxies there.

A gun debate wait

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal was calling for passage of red flag law legislation on the Senate floor Thursday, when a staffer passed him a note.

“As I speak on the floor right now, there is a school shooting in Santa Clara, California,” Blumenthal, DConn., said on Thursday morning. “How can we turn the other way? How can we refuse to see that shooting in real time, demanding attention, requiring our action? We are complicit if we fail to

Who are these big donors? There’s a few names you would probably recognize: Gov. Ned Lamont gave $3000 to Biden; Linda McMahon, former U.S. Small Business Administration chief, gave Trump $5,600, FEC data shows.

act.”

The shooting, which actually occured at a high school in Santa Clarita, Calif., left two students dead and several injured.

The incident saddened and infuriated Democrats who have been pushing for Congress to pass stricter gun laws. Although President Donald Trump gave Democrats some hope after twin mass shootings in August, months of stalemate have followed.

Blumenthal has been leading bipartisan Senate negotiations to pass a federal red flag law that would allow authorities to temporarily remove guns from individuals considered a danger. Connecticut junior senator, Democrat Chris Murphy, has taken the lead on negotiations over legislation for universal background checks for gun purchases, which passed the House in February.

Minutes before Blumenthal spoke, Murphy tried to force a Senate vote on the background check bill through a unanimous consent request.

U.S. Sen. Cindy HydeSmith, RMiss, objected and the prospect of a vote died.

“Legislation that would affect American’s rights under the second amendment should not be fasttracked by the Senate,” HydeSmith said. “Efforts to criminalize otherwise lawful conduct with firearms by lawabiding gun owners should not be

exempt from consideration by the appropriate committee of jurisdiction. It should not be exempt from debate on the Senate floor.”

HydeSmith argued that if the bill enjoyed bipartisan support, it should be able to pass committee and make it to the floor for a vote. She said more discussion was needed.

Murphy countered that Republicans, the majority party, could hold any gun legislation discussion they wanted. He has been in talks to expand FBI background checks of potential gunbuyers with Sens. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., and Patrick Toomey, RPa.

Murphy was also on the floor of the Senate as a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida claimed the lives of 17 people. He’s a vocal gun control advocate whose district includes Newtown, where a school shooter killed 26 people in 2012.

Blumenthal blamed Trump for a lack of progress on gun legislation Thursday. Blumenthal’s red flag bill had the support of Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., a Trump ally. Trump has abandoned the idea of more firearm regulations out of fears of splintering his muchneeded Republican coalition and angering the National Rifle Association, the Washington Post reported.