U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty

Washington – While it seems they ended their last campaigns just a short while ago, the members of Connecticut’s House delegation have begun raising money for their re-election efforts.

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, raised nearly $275,000 in the first three months of this year, her campaign’s latest filings with the Federal Election Commission show. That was the most any member of the House delegation raised in the period. She ended the first quarter with about $225,000 in cash on hand.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, reported having the most money on hand, about $1.1 million. He raised $143,000 in the first quarter. The congressional districts Esty and Himes represent are considered the most competitive in Connecticut.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, who has not had a tough rival for her seat since 1990, raised $111,000 during the period but reported the least campaign cash on March 31, about $52,000. Her campaign manager, Jimmy Tickey, said DeLauro’s cash on hand was “on par with our past first quarters of a new election cycle, and our campaign efforts will continue as Rosa runs for re-election in 2016.”

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, reported raising $102,648 in this quarter and spent more than that, about $119,000  in this cycle.  He ended the reporting period with about $627,000 in cash on hand.

Another Connecticut Democrat who has not had a tough re-election race for years, Rep. John Larson of the Hartford-based 1st District, raised $122,815 and reported about $337,000 in cash on hand at the end of the quarterly filing period.

No Republican or Democrat has announced an interest in challenging the lawmakers, but there’s still plenty of time to do that before the November 2016 elections.

Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

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