Residents of Connecticut, one of the richest states in the nation, contributed $1.6 million to presidential candidates over the summer.
A Connecticut Post review of third-quarter campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission by 17 candidates found that most of the money — about $1.2 million — came from wealthy Fairfield County.
Democrats took in more than $915,000, compared with about $685,000 for Republicans.
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the biggest beneficiary of campaign cash from Connecticut.
She collected $402,000 from state residents including the wife of New York Mets pitching ace Pedro Martinez, Fairfield University women’s basketball coach Dianne Nolan, and New London astrologer Paul Valley.
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama collected more than $208,000 from Connecticut residents in the third quarter, down from about $941,000 in the second quarter.
Behind him was Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who took in more than $190,000 for his longshot bid.
He has raised $13.5 million nationwide for his campaign, compared with nearly $91 million for Clinton, $80 million for Obama and $30 million for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
In the third quarter, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the biggest recipient of Connecticut donations to Republicans, collecting $373,000, mostly from Fairfield County residents. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took in more than $120,000.
“The money is paralleling the polls,” said Scott McLean, a professor of politics at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. “The polls say that Hillary has the momentum on the Democratic side and Giuliani on the Republican side.”
Romney has raised the most of any Republican, nearly $63 million.
Giuliani has raised $47 million and Arizona Sen. John McCain $32 million.
Obama’s contributors included Westport musician Nile Rodgers, who co-wrote “We Are Family” for Sister Sledge; Yale University math professor Mikhail Kapranov; and Seth Davis, a college basketball broadcaster at CBS.
Giuliani got money from David Cannon, an investment manager at RBS Greenwich Capital; Thomas Hassen, an investment banker at Bear Stearns & Co.; and Gary Kilberg, an investment manager at Centerlight Capital management.
Romney contributors included Mark Begor, a senior vice president at GE in Fairfield; Richard Harrington, CEO of Thomson Corp. in Stamford; and Bridgeport resident Pedro Wasmer, president of Somerset Capital Group.
