Round 2: Harp Raises $98K, Elicker $65K

Mayor Toni Harp helped challenger Justin Elicker take in money — by launching attacks ads that he turned into fundraising opportunities

Meanwhile, buttressed by city government contractors and builders, the mayor’s reelection campaign closed part of its fundraising gap with Elicker by nearly quadrupling its total donations between the first and second quarters of the year.

Those two campaign finance takeways emerge in the the second-quarter (Q2) mayoral campaign financial reports covering donations received by Elicker and Harp between April 1 and June 30.

The Harp campaign submitted its report in print to the city clerk’s office Wednesday afteroon. The Elicker campaign released details on its Q2 fundraising in an afternoon campaign email and then submitted its official report electronically to the State Election Enforcement Commission’s eCris online database before the 11:59 p.m. filing deadline.

In total, Elicker’s campaign raised $65,627 in individual contributions and Harp raised $98,841 in individual contributions during Q2.

When taking into account adbook contributions, which are advertisements that donors can purchase at campaign events, and the $26,042 she raised in Q1, Harp has raised a total of $129,223 for her campaign during the first half of 2019.

Elicker, a former East Rock/Cedar Hill Alder who lost Harp in the 2013 election and is now seeking a rematch for the Democratic Party nomination, has raised a total of $210,725 in that same time period. His campaign said it expects that number to grow to just under $246,126 in coming weeks.

That latter number takes into account Elicker’s Q2 individual contributions, the $117,694 he raised in Q1 individual contributions, the $27,352 he received from the Democracy Fund in matching grants for his Q1 fundraising, the $16,400 he expects to receive from the Democracy Fund for his Q2 fundraising, and the $19,000 he expects to receive from the Democracy Fund after making it onto Sept. 10 primary ballot following the July 18 Democratic Town Convention.

Elicker is the only mayoral candidate participating in the public financing Democracy Fund program this year, which requires him to limit individual campaign contributions to $390 each in order to receive matching grants.

Harp is not participating in the public financing program, which allows her campaign to raise $1,000 per contribution. Mayoral challengers Wendy Hamilton, Urn Pendragon, and Seth Poole did not file finance reports on Wednesday as they are not raising money for their campaigns.

“Our grassroots campaign projects we will have raised a total of $246,125 including Democracy Fund matches after a strong second quarter,” Elicker is quoted as saying in an email statement. ​“Since January, our campaign is supported by over 1,100 contributors, with 70% from New Haven. By participating in New Haven’s clean elections program we are ensuring that no corporations or contractors will influence me as Mayor. This is about the residents of New Haven, not the wealthy or political elite.”

“The Mayor is proud to be able to post such a strong second quarter,” Harp campaign chair Ed Corey said in a written statement sent to the Independent by text, ​“and the outpouring of support she has received for this campaign. The Mayor has received contributions from supporters across the city and the state, including many business leaders and job creators, as well as great community leaders in the Elm City. Voters in New Haven want proven leadership that delivers real results exactly what Mayor Harp has done since taking office.”

Attacks = Fundraising Opportunities

A deep dive into the campaign finance numbers reveals that Elicker has Harp to thank for at least two bumps in his Q2 daily campaign contributions.

Click here to read Elicker’s full Q2 report.

While the Elicker campaign averaged $783 in total daily donations during Q2, those single day contributions jumped to $1,440 on May 23 and to $3,130 on June 27.

That first date happened to be the same day that Elicker sent out a campaign fundraising email in response to a Harp campaign attack ad comparing him with Donald Trump. 

That second date happened coincides with the day that Elicker sent out a campaign fundraising email in response to a Harp campaign attack ad accusing Elicker’s wife, who works in the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Haven, of allegedly conspiring with Democratic Town Chair Vinnie Mauro and President Trump to coordinate the wide-ranging subpoena that the FBI submitted to Harp’s City Hall in June.

Elicker also saw $7,902 in contributions on June 30, the same day that Elicker’s campaign sent out a final fundraising email request for the quarter. It saw $5,910 come in on June 18, the day after a state judge ruled against the city on the health department’s changes to its lead paint poisoning policies.

In total, Elicker received 716 individual Q2 contributions, 536 of which (or 75 percent) came from New Haven. Those New Haven contributions accounted for $45,184, or 68 percent of the $65,627 he raised in the quarter.

Elicker received 120 donations from contributors who said they are retired, 40 from professors, 23 from teachers, 15 from attorneys, and many more from self-identified engineers, librarians, dentists, and artists.

He also earned contributions from a few former city employees, including former Assistant Fire Chiefs Pat Egan and Matt Marcarelli, parks deputy Christy Hass, Board of Ed members Carlos Torre and Alicia Caraballo, Commission on Equal Opportunities chief Nichole Jefferson, City Plan staffer Joy Ford, and Board of Education COO Will Clark.

Opposition Research

A glance through the hundreds of Q2 donors to the mayor’s reelection campaign revealed that Harp raised $10,990 at a May 21 high-dollar fundraising event hosted by Vincent Giordano, Jr. of Giordano Construction at East Rock Brewery. Giordano is one of several contractors who have received work from the city and repaid the mayor with campaign contributions.

She also received a total of 24 different $1,000 max-out contributions, including from Stamford builder Randy Salvatore and his wife Claire, former schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo and his wife Patsy, and a half dozen different attorneys at the Milford law firm Berchem Moses.

Click here to view the second-quarter report.

Also revealed in Harp’s full Q2 finance report is that her campaign spent $7,500 on a ​“Harp Self Vulernability Memo/Elicker Oppo Report” as drafted by a San Francisco-based firm called Nesbitt & Parrinello, Inc. on Harvest. She also spent a total of $26,500 for the services of a Rego Park, New York-based consultant Thirty Ninth Street Strategies, a ​“full service market research and intelligence firm” that has worked on Congressional and mayoral campaigns throughout the country.

According to the Harp campaign report, the mayor’s reelection campaign has spent a total of $85,706.59 so far this year, and has $39,526.61 still on hand. According to the Elicker campaign report, his campaign has spent a total of $84,671.76 so far, and has $99,631.53 still on hand. With Democracy Fund dollars that the campaign has already received, Elicker told the Independent, the amount of money his campaign actually has on hand is closer to $126,983.

Below is a full list of Q2 contributors who maxed out at $390 each in donations made to the Elicker campaign. Followed by a list of Q2 contributors who maxed out at $1,000 each in donations made to the Harp campaign.

The original version of this story incorrectly stated the maximum contribution limit for Democracy Fund eligible donations as $370. The correct number is $390.

ELICKER $390 CONTRIBUTIONS

Balletto, Bradley J Middlebury, CT
Bildner, Elana New Haven, CT
Bright, Jay New Haven, CT
Bronson, Rachel Watertown, CT
Buckley, John F. North Haven, CT
Chance, Zoe New Haven, CT
Chapnick, Mimi New Haven, CT
Cofrancesco, Patricia A New Haven, CT
Collins, Brad New Haven, CT
Curry, Kathleen West Hartford, CT
Curtis, Maryann Milford, MI
Davis, Rob New Haven, CT
Desroches, Gerald Wethersfield, CT
Desroches, Katrina Wethersfield, CT
Egan, Patrick New Haven, CT
Fields, Linda New Milford, CT
Huffman, Timothy S Wethersfield, CT
Israelow, Ben New Haven, CT
Kay, Daniel F New Haven, CT
Killheffer, Chris New Haven, CT
Kimberly, Barbara C. Philadelphia, PA
Kimberly, John R. Philadelphia, PA
Kimberly, Robert P. Mountain Brk, AL
Ladd, Billie New Haven, CT
Marcarelli, Matthew Northford, CT
Martinez, Michael New Haven, CT
Martson, Sven New Haven, CT
Mayer, Miela B. Guilford, CT
Mills, Abigail New Haven, CT
Mills, John New Haven, CT
Negaro, Charles New Haven, CT
Orr, Carol New Haven, CT
Paterno, Robert Watertown, CT
Piekarski, Marcel North Haven, CT
Plantinga, Leon New Haven, CT
Ponvert, Celia New Haven, CT
Reuterdahl, Nils Chester, VT
Ryerson, Ellen New Haven, CT
S. Hacker, Jacob New Haven, CT
Schaffer, Robin Woodbridge, CT
Seto, Karen New Haven, CT
Trachten, Andreea New Haven, CT
Zeren, Seth Providence, RI

HARP $1,000 CONTRIBUTIONS

Berchem, Robert Milford, CT
Buturia, Richard Stratford, CT
Cloud, Jr., Sanford West Hartford, CT
Cowie, Ardelle Woodbridge, CT
Churchman, Glyn Woodbridge, CT
Dugas, Floyd Milford, CT
Hodgson, Chris Guilford
Iwaskiewicz, Dariusz Orange, CT
Liuzzi, Michael New Haven, CT
Liuzzi, Michael New Haven, CT
Marshall, Ruben Wallingford, CT
Massey, Jr., Robert Branford, CT
Mayo, Reginald New Haven, CT
Mayor, Patsy New Haven, CT
Mooney, Thomas West Hartford, CT
Poitier, Brack Hamden, CT
Poitier, Brack Hamden, CT
Prete, Neil Orange, CT
Salvatore, Randy New Canaan, CT
Salvatore, Claire New Canaan, CT
Short, Matthew New Haven, CT
Studer, Stephen Milford, CT
Taylor, Michael Glastonbury, CT
Willumsen, Cecilia New Haven, CT