Within hours of Chris Donovan removing the possibility of a third-party effort that would have undermined Elizabeth Esty in the 5th Congressional District, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced she has been selected for assistance under its “Red to Blue Program.”
Of course, in her case, it’s a matter of trying to keep a blue seat from going red. Democrat Chris Murphy won the seat in 2006, 2008 and 2010, but he is running for U.S. Senate.
Esty won a Democratic primary Aug. 14, but Donovan had been cross-endorsed by the Working Families Party and didn’t confirm until today that would give up their ballot line.
The DCCC and its GOP counterpart look for candidates to hit certain thresholds, such as organizational and fundraising acumen, before investing in their races.
“Elizabeth already proved that her commitment to standing up for the middle class means she can win tough races. With her reputation as a tireless advocate for responsible budgets and protecting health care, Elizabeth will now build on the strong grassroots energy she’s already earned and convince Connecticut voters she is the right choice to get our economy back on track,” said DCCC Chairman Steve Israel.