Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski’s first campaign finance report showed $599,743 in donations from people not named Bob Stefanowski and loans of $10 million from the candidate himself.
The report his campaign filed before the midnight deadline Monday showed Stefanowski delivering on what he promised on the first day of his campaign in January: He would provide $10 million of his own funds.
Gov. Ned Lamont, who provided $15 million of the $15.9 million he spent defeating Stefanowski in 2018, filed a report showing him to be a pay-as-you-go candidate, writing personal checks to his campaign as bills come in.
He wrote two checks in the first three months of 2022: one for $400,000 on Jan. 18 and another for $750,000 on March 22.
Donors not named Ned Lamont contributed $13,998.
Cynthia Blumenthal, an investor from Greenwich married to another Democrat who will be on the ballot, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, was one of two donors to give Lamont the maximum of $3,500.
Lamont spent $639,091 in the most recent financial quarter, bring his total spending to $742,795. He declared his candidacy in November.
Stefanowski raised $101,500 from 29 donors who gave the maximum of $3,500, including David Kelsey of Old Lyme and Thomas E. McInerney of Westport. They are the donors who each gave $500,000 to a super PAC supporting Stefanowski with ads attacking Lamont.
There is no limit on contributions to super PACs.
By loaning his campaign money instead of donating it, Stefanowski potentially could recover some of the funds if his fundraising produces a surplus at the campaign’s end.
From Jan. 12 to March 30, Stefanowski made 11 loans to campaign, ranging from $200,000 to $5 million. He spent nearly $2.6 million.
