As second quarter campaign fundraising numbers pour in from around the country Connecticut State Representative and Senate candidate William Tong is making a huge splash with his impressive second quarter haul. Competing with Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, Tong drew in $550,000 before the June 30th deadline as reported by Politico.
To put that in perspective, front runners Chris Murphy and Susan Bysiewicz raised net contributions of $1,029,436 and $500,851 respectively in the first 90 days of 2011. Tong’s numbers come from a period of only 53 days since he announced his bid on May 8th. Murphy and Bysiewicz have yet to release second quarter totals and have until the July 15th deadline to do so.
In a contentious 2010 Senate race Republican candidate Linda McMahon spent upwards of $50 million in her eventual loss to Democrat Richard Blumenthal for Chris Dodd’s old Senate seat. In 2012 Democrats are gearing up to ensure Joe Lieberman’s seat remains blue after the 24 year incumbent announced earlier in the year that he would not attempt a second bid as a Democrat-caucusing-Independent.
Murphy, one of two front-runners for the Senate seat, has served in the House since 2006 after beating incumbent Republican Nancy Johnson and has strong union support across the state. Bysiewicz meanwhile boast high approval ratings in internal polls, and served as Connecticut’s Secretary of State for over a decade. Tong has been serving in the State Assembly since 2006, representing Connecticut’s largest geographical district, and was not even listed as an option when the Senate race was last polled in late March.
However, in addition to releasing his second quarter fundraising numbers, Tong announced a heavy duty campaign staff with national experience In a recent press release.
“Tong has tapped Connecticut campaign veteran Marc Bradley as manager. “Marc knows Connecticut politics and is a seasoned operative. I’m pleased he has agreed to take the reins of the campaign.” Bradley has worked on two statewide races in Connecticut serving as political advisor for Ned Lamont’s gubernatorial and US Senate campaigns.
Jim Jordan, Miriam Hess, and Jimmy Siegel will be managing the campaign’s media strategy. Jim Jordan is the former campaign manager for John Kerry’s presidential campaign and also served as executive director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Miriam Hess and Jimmy Siegel have worked for several statewide candidates across the country as well as for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s former presidential campaign.”
If Tong were to snatch the nomination from Murphy and Bysiewicz he would be the clear front runner for the Senate seat in the general, as Connecticut has not had a Republican senator since 1989.
