Former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart is the first major party candidate for governor to seek a newly available convention campaign grant to support her bid for the Republican nomination.
The State Elections Enforcement Commission has Stewart’s groundbreaking grant application on its agenda to consider at its meeting Wednesday.
The Stewart campaign said Tuesday that its staff was continuing to consult with election regulators to make sure all of the requirements were satisfied in preparation for the meeting.
Stewart and state Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich are the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for the governor’s race in 2026. Also, Norwich Republican Timothy M. Wilcox declared his candidacy in May, and Scott P. Merrill, a Norwalk Republican who registered to run for governor in 2010, 2014 and 2018, filed candidacy papers Nov. 26.
The state legislature added convention campaign grants for gubernatorial candidates from major parties in a 2023 overhaul of the Citizens’ Election Program, which provides public financing to qualifying candidates for state offices. This public financing option became available for the 2026 gubernatorial election.
The intent was to counteract the spending advantages that self-funded gubernatorial candidates had over candidates participating in the Citizens’ Election Program while they waited for approval of their election grants. Supporters argued the early funding would put participating candidates on more equal footing with wealthy self-funding candidates and give them a fairer chance to win both the nomination and the general election.
In 2022, Gov. Ned Lamont spent $25.7 million to win reelection to a second term, while Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski spent $14.5 million. In contrast, the general election grant was $7,746,000.
Lamont, a wealthy former cable television entrepreneur, plans to finance his 2026 reelection campaign out-of-pocket again. He and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz launched their bid for a third term in mid-November. State Rep. Joshua Elliott, of Hamden, is currently the only challenger to Lamont for the Democratic nomination for governor.
The convention campaign grants were set equal to one-quarter of the grant amount for primary elections. The remaining three-quarters becomes available to participating candidates after certain triggering events. Candidates must have raised all of their qualifying contributions to receive the grant.
The 2023 legislation initially set the convention campaign grant at $806,875, but it mandates that the amount be adjusted for inflation for candidates who apply after January 2026. Stewart submitted her application and an itemized statement of her qualifying contributions on Dec. 22.
Supporters of convention campaign grants also argued in 2023 that making public financing available early to gubernatorial candidates of major parties would increase participation in the Citizens’ Election Program. To date, Democrat Dannel P. Malloy is the only candidate who accepted public financing to be elected governor.
Malloy won in 2010, when campaign grants became available for candidates for statewide offices for the first time, and again in 2014. Both times he ran against Greenwich businessman Thomas Foley, who spent nearly $10 million of his own money on his 2010 campaign and then qualified for $6.5 million in public financing in 2014.
Under the Citizens’ Election Program, candidates for General Assembly and statewide offices must agree to limit contributions and spending, forgo outside funding sources, and comply with other requirements. Candidates who raise the required qualifying contributions are eligible to receive election grants to finance their campaigns.
The State Elections Enforcement Commission recently issued guidance saying that to be eligible for a convention campaign grant, gubernatorial candidates must raise $250,000 in individual contributions ranging from $5 to $250 and ensure that a minimum of 90% of those contributions, or $225,000, comes from Connecticut residents.
Stewart reported raising $213,520 in qualifying contributions in the itemized statement filed Dec. 21 to support her application for a convention campaign grant. Her campaign had $120,550 cash in hand at that time. Candidate committees for statewide offices and General Assembly must submit their latest quarterly campaign finance report by Saturday.