Governor Ned Lamont’s 2026 reelection campaign reimbursed the New Haven Democratic Town Committee (DTC) $45,292 for paid canvassing work performed in August. The payment, recorded on the campaign’s September 10 Itemized Campaign Finance Disclosure, covered the costs of roughly 43 canvassers who knocked doors and distributed literature citywide in the weeks leading up to the Aug. 11 Democratic primary.

Details of the reimbursement

The New Haven DTC treasurer confirmed that the reimbursement paid for hourly wages ranging from $22 to $28 per canvasser. The DTC paid its staff seven days a week for about a month, a rate the committee says is well above the state minimum wage. The campaign listed the expense under the filing code “POC,” which the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) defines as a payment to another committee for a reimbursement of a shared expense.

SEEC attorney Joshua Foley explained that state law requires a committee to reimburse another committee for a shared expense within 45 days of the original expenditure to avoid the payment being treated as an in‑kind contribution.

Comparison with other campaign expenditures

The $45,292 reimbursement was the fifth‑largest outlay in the Lamont campaign’s August spending window, trailing only payroll, television advertising, communication consulting, phone banking, and printing. It was also one of only two expenditures classified as a reimbursement under § 9‑610(b); the other was a $5,000 payment to the Hartford Democratic Committee on Aug. 26.

During the same period, the Lamont campaign reported total expenditures of $1,240,242.03 and raised $714,414.32, including $700,000 contributed by the candidate himself.

Election context

Lamont won the Aug. 11 Democratic primary with 126,213 votes statewide, defeating State Rep. Josh Elliott 68% to 32%. In New Haven, the margin was narrower: 4,790 votes for Lamont to 3,320 for Elliott, or 59% to 41%.

The stronger showing for Elliott in New Haven likely motivated the campaign’s focused canvassing effort there. New Haven DTC Chair Vinnie Mauro noted that Elliott “had a following” in the city, prompting the governor’s team to invest heavily in door‑to‑door outreach.

Future reporting

The New Haven DTC is scheduled to file its next campaign‑finance report on Oct. 10, covering July 1 through Sept. 30. That filing should provide additional line‑item detail on the canvassing work reimbursed by the Lamont campaign.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.