The dominance of wealthy self-funders in the Connecticut gubernatorial races is prompting an examination of how to restore the relevance of the state’s groundbreaking public financing system to top-of-the ticket elections.
Campaign finance reports filed this week showed Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont spent $25.7 million to win reelection to a second term, while his Republican opponent, Bob Stefanowski, spent $14.5 million.
Had they opted for public financing under the voluntary Citizens Election Program, they would have been limited to about $8 million — roughly the amount Lamont spent just on television advertising in the last five weeks of the campaign.