Republicans Attack "Special Interest Esty" On Campaign Contributions

Written by Patch Field Editor Paul Petrone

The National Republican Congressional Committee this week launched an attack advertisement against Democratic 5th District U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty for taking campaign donations they deem to be a conflict-of-interest.

On Wednesday, the NRCC launched an Internet commercial entitled "Special Interest Elizabeth Esty: Bought and paid for by big money and special interest." The ad focuses on Esty receiving money from the energy industry her husband - Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty - regulates.

Earlier this year, Esty returned $3,500 in contributions from executives and lobbyists for Northeast Utilities, an organization her husband Dan Esty regulates as part of his job as commissioner of the DEEP, according to the Hartford Courtant. Dan Esty was also paid $205,000 in consulting fees from 1997 to 2005 by Northeast Utilities, before he became commissioner of the DEEP, according to the Courant. 

Esty, a first-term Congresswoman, has refused to return all of the campaign money she has received from other Connecticut lobbyists registered to lobby Dan Esty’s department, according to the Courant. That has caused Republicans to attack Esty, and for Democrats to attack that attack. 

“The fact that Elizabeth Esty sees nothing wrong with taking tens of thousands of dollars from people that work in an industry regulated by her husband shows exactly where her priorities lie," NRCC’s spokesman Ian Prior said in a Wednesday press release. "With big money Super PACs and other corporate bigwigs spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to put her in Congress, it has become very clear that Esty puts special interests over Connecticut’s middle class families.” 

Jonathan Harris, executive director for the Connecticut Democratic Party, disagreed. 

“Republicans in Connecticut have become like the Republicans in Washington; they have no ideas, so they spend all their time attacking and blocking," Harris told the Courant. "It’s all rather sad and depressing." 

To watch the attack ad, click here.