State Senator Ed Gomes, who got a late start raising money, has crossed the $15K threshold to qualify for public financing in an effort to maintain the seat he has held since 2005, according to his campaign treasurer Matt Waggner. The Gomes campaign must receive sign-off from the State Elections Enforcement Commission to receive roughly $91,000 in public financing for the Aug. 14 Democratic primary against party-endorsed Ernie Newton and State Rep. Andres Ayala.
If Gomes receives his public financing by mid July that will give his campaign enough time to make its case to voters in Connecticut’s 23rd Senatorial District that includes roughly 70 percent of Bridgeport and portion of western Stratford. Ayala has already qualified for public financing. Newton says he too will qualify.
Connecticut’s public financing system is designed so candidates are beholden to no one. For a State Senate race candidates must receive at least 300 donations of $100 or less from residents within the district to qualify for public dough. Gomes, who loathes raising money, waited until the end of the state legislative session in late May before forming a candidate committee. It pressed his supporters into action to help him raise the money, a labor-intensive task.
Although Gomes has represented the district for seven years, Newton shocked statewide political observers by winning the party endorsement in his quest to win back the seat he occupied before his incarceration following corruption charges. Ayala brings a base of support from his State House constituency on the city’s East Side.
Assuming all three candidates qualify for public financing it sets the stage for three full-blown campaign operations.
See Gomes’ SEEC filing from a few days ago that shows him very close to the $15K (Waggner reports the campaign has since reached the necessary amount): seec.ct.gov/eCrisReporting/Data/Attachment/Unassigned/SEEC30_July_10_Filing_14053.PDF
Best Wishes to State Senator Ed Gomes as he qualifies for state campaign funds. The upcoming race will be a barnburner. I have no idea who will win it but when it comes to blogs, only one can be the best:
www .Only1CanBeTheBest.com
Do you have a horse in this race, Local Eyes?
I don’t! I donated $10 to Gomes at the OIB party–I was asked for $5. The other candidates didn’t reach out. Had any one of them asked for $100 they may have gotten $200. There are no blogs like OIB and Brian Lockhart as far as political blogs hosts are concerned.
*** What’s the candidate’s “claim” to fame, past or present that would make voters want to vote for them? *** HOLLER ***
Of the three candidates, I think Gomes is the most suitable. Yet he has done little to improve the quality of life of those who live in his district. If I am wrong, please provide a list of what he has accomplished.
It wouldn’t make a list if anyone did try to enumerate what they feel are accomplishments.
Here’s my favorite one: Voted for the largest tax increase in Connecticut history after Andres Ayala did the same in the House of Representatives.
I have seen what other communities have done for blighted districts like our East Side. It is nothing more than pure and unadulterated harassment for our leadership to do absolutely nothing to improve the quality of life of all of the people who live under those desperate and deplorable conditions. There are a lot of hard-working people who live there. They just don’t deserve to be ignored. If I could vote in that district, it would be for Gomes for a lot of reasons. But I would let him know I expect him to resolve quality-of-life issues in the East Side before he gets too cozy with the other people in Hartford who could care less about our East Side.
*** It’s a look at what I’ve done lately, 8-person Bpt delegation that can’t get together on big issues and only take credit for other folks’ work on individual bases. ***