Malloy-Wyman claim to qualify for public financing

The Democratic ticket of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman announced Wednesday it has raised $250,000 in small-dollar contributions that will qualify them for $6,500,400 in public financing.

“We want to take a moment this afternoon to say thank you. Because of you, we have raised the necessary $250,000 to apply for public financing and are now in the process of submitting our application,” they said in an email blast.

To qualify, Malloy and Wyman needed to earn a place on the ballot, which was accomplished May 16 with their nomination for a second term by the Democratic state convention, and to raise $250,000 through maximum contributions of no more than $100.

Malloy was the first Connecticut governor elected using the state’s voluntary public financing program, a reform passed by the General Assembly after John G. Rowland resigned as governor facing an impeachment inquiry and federal corruption investigation.

Republican Tom Foley, who largely self-funded his 2010 campaign, says he, too, has raised the qualifying $250,000, but he has not committed to using the program, which imposes spending limits of about $6.75 million for a general-election campaign.

While Malloy has committed to public financing, he also has been raising money for the state and federal accounts of the Connecticut Democratic Party. State contractors are barred from donating to state campaigns, but they are free to give as much as $10,000 to the party’s federal account.

Two of the candidates challenging Foley in a GOP primary, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and Senate Minority Leader John P. McKinney, have announced they will use public financing.

Public financing grants for 2014

Governor: $1,354,250 primary; $6,500,400 general.

Lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, treasurer and secretary of the state: $406,275 primary; $812,550 general.

In the general election, when voters cast a single vote for governor and lieutenant governor, there is no separate grant for lieutenant governor.