New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Two Republican candidates for statewide office face grant deadline
Two Republicans running for statewide office in Connecticut face a 5 p.m. deadline Monday to qualify for the full $968,250 grant through the Citizen Elections Program.
Norwalk attorney Jessica Kordas, the party’s nominee for state Attorney General, and West Hartford town councilor Mary Fay, the party’s endorsed candidate for state Comptroller, both must raise $86,600 in qualifying contributions to be eligible to receive the public grants.
Kordas, an attorney, announced on Facebook earlier this week that she’d raised enough money to qualify. “This is just the beginning,” she said in the Facebook post. “There is still a lot of work to be done to WIN this November! But what a great start!”
As of Friday morning, neither Kordas nor Fay had applied for the CEP funding, according to the state Elections Enforcement Commission. A spokesman for Kordas’ campaign said by email Friday afternoon that she plans to submit the required paperwork on Monday afternoon.
The public funding becomes vitally important for the campaigns, giving them nearly $1 million to spend on everything from staff to advertising. Not being granted the financing would mean the campaigns would continue to rely on contributions and risk using far less money.
The Democrats in the two races, Attorney General William Tong and state Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, who is running for comptroller, have both qualified for the elections financing.
Kordas’ most recent campaign finance report shows she had raised $54,260 in contributions, as of July 10, with $1,240.51 cash on hand. Fay’s July 10 filing shows $20,133.66 in contributions and $9,412.62 cash on hand. Fay did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday about whether she thought she would be able to raise enough in contributions to qualify.
Candidates must demonstrate that they have substantial support from the public to qualify for the voluntary program including raising small dollar
contributions ranging from $5 to $290.
After 5 p.m. Monday, the amount of funding available to candidates who apply for the program begins to decrease incrementally. Candidates for statewide office who file the paperwork between Aug. 30 and 5 p.m. on Sept. 12, for example, are eligible for 75 percent of the full grant – or $726,187.50. The last deadline to apply for the grant is 5 p.m. on Oct. 14.
Funding for the Citizens Election Program, which is aimed at keeping special interest money out of politics, largely comes from the proceeds from the sale of abandoned property under the state’s custody and voluntary donations.