France entered final five weeks of campaign with $65,000. Republican’s fundraising lags far behind incumbent Courtney.

Republican Mike France’s second campaign for Congress in Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District continues to provide his party with a grim reminder of the high cost of running a serious campaign. France raised $639,859 as of September 30th, according to his campaign finance report. A significant chunk of that has gone to consultants and fundraising, leaving the former state representative with only $65,859 in the critical final five weeks of the campaign–if he does not pay the campaign’s $26,445 debts before Election Day.

Democrat Joe Courtney, the popular nine-term Democrat, raised $1,204,021, through the end of September. He had nearly half of that, $628,178, left for the final sprint to November 5th. Courtney has a loyal statewide network of donors, so he could quickly raise more if he needed it. The former state representative also has a long records of successfully promoting submarines as a critical part of the nation’s defense. Groton-based Electric boat has a workforce of 23,000 and orders for 19 submarines.

In the House, Courtney has become an important and respected voice in the AUKUS security alliance of democratic nations protecting freedom in the Pacific region.

Published October 16, 2024.