Esty, Himes top House fundraisers

Washington – Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5^th District, has raised more campaign money than any member of Connecticut’s congressional delegation, an analysis of the latest reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission show.

Esty raised a little more than $2.5 million as of Sept. 30. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4^th District, raised a little less than $2.5 million.

That’s in keeping with recent tradition. In 2012 both Esty and Himes were among the top 50 House members in campaign fundraising, according to a list compiled by the FEC.

In that cycle, Himes raised a total of $2.8 million, making him 42^nd on the list; Esty raised $2.7 million, putting her in the 48^th spot.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, topped the list, having raised $20.7 million in that cycle.

The latest FEC filings show Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3^rd District, has raised the least amount of money in the delegation, about $1.1 million. Yet her challenger, Republican James Brown of Stratford, raised a small fraction of that amount, about $24,400.

The campaigns of Reps. John Larson, D-1^st District, and Joe Courtney, D-2^nd District, raised a little less than they had at this point in the 2012 election cycle.

Larson has raised about $1.7 million and Courtney $1.3 million.

But all of the members of Connecticut’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives have exceeded the median collected at this point of the election cycle by House Democrats. The FEC says that amount was about $1 million in 2012.

Among challengers, Republican Mark Greenberg raised the most money, about $1.5 million. But most of that money, about $1.1 million came in the form of personal loans from Greenberg to his campaign.

If personal loans are discounted, the challenger who raised the most money is Republican Dan Debicella, a Shelton businessman who is challenging Himes and has raised a little more than $1 million.

Lori Hopkins-Cavanagh, a Republican who is challenging Courtney, raised about $84,000. But most of it, $51,000, was a personal loan to her campaign.

Matthew Corey, a Republican challenging Larson, has raised about $20,212.