Money chase heats up for Roraback, Esty

Washington –– In the crucial few weeks before Election Day, neither Republican Andrew Roraback nor Democrat Elizabeth Esty — rivals in the 5th District race — seem to have much money for the homestretch of their campaigns.

Both, however, can expect some funding from their national parties and other out-of-state sources.

In his latest filings with the Federal Election Commission, Roraback, a state senator, reported raising nearly $560,000 in the last quarter, which included a $25,000 personal loan to his campaign. He ended the quarter with about $307,000 in cash-on-hand.

Meanwhile, Esty’s campaign raised $676,000 and spent nearly $1.2 million in the last quarter, leaving $282,000 in cash-on-hand.

Both candidates have recently received help from their parties.

Esty received about $15,000 from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee PAC and nearly $50,000 from other political action committees, some belonging to the AFL-CIO and other unions that once backed the primary rival she defeated: House Speaker Chris Donovan.

Roraback received help from Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon, who donated $2,500, and several GOP House members, including Spencer Bachus of Florida and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio.

Roraback is now tapping some powerful GOP allies to continue to fund his campaign.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is hosting a fundraiser for Roraback in New York today, and Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, plans to host another in the 5th District later this month.

Christopher Cooper, spokesman for the Roraback campaign, said some of the “star power” of Roraback’s fundraisers have local roots, noting that Nancy and Henry Kissinger live in Kent.

“(Henry Kissinger) cares not only what goes on in the country, but what’s going on in the district,” Cooper said.

Roraback has already had the help of Boehner, who appeared at a fundraiser for the candidate in Hartford last week, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who did the same in Greenwich on Sunday.

The last few weeks before Election Day on Nov. 6 are crucial to a campaign. But how much the candidates for this competitive open seat raise and spend in these crucial weeks is likely to be dwarfed by the amount of money the national parties and third party groups pour into the race.

Just in the last few weeks, the DCCC’s PAC spent nearly $1 million on two 30-second spots that attack Roraback, claiming that, if he is elected, he would join a conservative House Republican caucus.

Roraback’s campaign, meanwhile, is being helped by a Super PAC based in Ohio called the Government Integrity Fund Action Network, which plans to spend $1.1 million on attack ads against Esty.

The first ad began airing Monday. It calls Esty a “tax and spend politician.”