Maritza Bond’s Fundraising For SOTS Builds Momentum

Former Bridgeport Health Director Maritza Bond is tracking toward  a significant public campaign grant in her quest to win the Democratic nomination for secretary of the state, Connecticut’s chief elections official. Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program of publicly funded races parcels out qualifying grants after respective party endorsements in early May.

This means Bond is likely to bank the grant before summer to devote her attention full-time to campaigning for a potential August primary.

From the Bond campaign:

This morning, Maritza Bond announced that she has raised approximately $60,000 in qualifying contributions in her campaign for Secretary of the State. This fundraising number, which includes over $11,000 in just 4 days since officially announcing, puts Bond ahead of schedule to qualify for public financing for an August primary.

In order to qualify for public financing, statewide candidates must raise $86,000 in qualifying donations. Once they meet that threshold, they are eligible to receive a grant of $484,125 for the primary, and an additional $968,250 for the general election.

Bond, who announced on Capitol Report just this past Sunday, has been a surprise in the field of mostly established names. Her government executive experience, serving as the Public Health Director in Bridgeport and now New Haven, has distinguished her from her opponents who are mostly running on their legislative records. The consistency of her fundraising is a strong indicator that her message has been resonating with Democrats across the state.

“The strength of our fundraising is a testament to Democrats across this state wanting to see new perspectives in Hartford,” Bond stated on Friday. “In the thousands of conversations I’ve had over the past few months, it is clear that people are ready for change in how we approach government and want leaders willing to be bold and try new ideas. I have been doing this throughout my career in public health, and I plan to bring that same ingenuity, passion, and problem solving to the Secretary of the State office.”

Since switching over to a candidate committee, Bond’s campaign has focused on the same issues as her exploratory: early voting and no-excuse absentee ballot voting, making the office more community-oriented, forward facing, and proactive, and being a better partner for small businesses looking to open, and stay open, here in Connecticut.

Before joining the City of New Haven, Maritza was Director of Health and Social Services for the City of Bridgeport for four years. During her nearly two decades in the public health sector, Maritza has also worked in rural settings. Before arriving in Bridgeport, she was the Executive Director of the Eastern Area Health Education Center (EAHEC), Inc. In that role, Maritza worked to bring educators, health care professionals, and the community together, better coordinate the regional and state public health workforce, and ensure health care access to the underserved.

Maritza holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health, with an MPA certificate in nonprofit management, from the University of Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University, specializing in health promotion.