Thomas Breen Photo
Erick Russell accepting party nomination at May convention.
New Haven’s Erick Russell will receive $484,125 to help get out his message in his quest to become Connecticut’s next state treasurer.
The State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) voted Wednesday to approve that grant for Russell under the Citizens’ Election Program, which offers public financing to qualifying candidates.
“With support from every region of the state, from first time donors to statewide leaders, our campaign has the resources necessary to deliver our message statewide,” Russell stated in a release after the vote.
The state Democratic Party has endorsed Russell’s candidacy. He faces fellow New Havener Karen DuBois-Walton and Dita Bhargava, a former Wall Street trader from Greenwich who sought the position in 2018, in an Aug. 9 Democratic primary. DuBois-Walton said she has raised enough money to qualify for the grant, and has submitted paperwork for an upcoming SEEC vote.
“There is no doubt what is at stake this fall. We have an opportunity to make a statement about what our party looks like, what we represent, and what we are fighting for: a party platform built on the premise of protecting rights for all communities and advancing economic fairness for the working people of our state,” Russell stated. “I am proud to be the endorsed Democrat for State Treasurer and with this grant I am prepared to deliver that message to voters leading up to the primary on Aug. 9.”
State Rep. Harry Arora, a Republican seeking the position, has already been approved to receive the state grant.
First-term State Treasurer Shawn Wooden is not running for reelection.
Bond Reopens Fundraising, Races To Meet Goal
Meanwhile the agenda for Wednesday’s SEEC meeting originally included a vote on New Havener Maritza Bond’s application to qualify for public financing for her own run for secretary of the state. She, too, is competing in a primary, against Stephanie Thomas of Norwalk.
But the SEEC “has identified some deficiencies with our grant application,” reported campaign manager Russ Morin in an email. “While some can be fixed, we need to raise significant monies by Sunday,” the deadline for qualifying. So the campaign has reopened the portal for people to donate while it also works to correct “technicalities” in already submitted donor forms.
That is a lot of money but it keeps a level playing field. The last time I donated to a campaign, i filled out a form and the lady from SEEC called me twice to verify I gave the donation. It's a real pain in the butt. Discrepancies happen.