Jim Himes Eyes the 4th District Seat: ‘I Am Going to Win This Race’
FOURTH
The Norwalk Hour
Kelly Carroll
Boston University Washington News Service
10/22/2007
WASHINGTON — Jim Himes knows the history.
He knows that Rep. Chris Shays (R-4th) has been in office for 20 years and 11 terms.
He knows the 4th congressional district in Connecticut has become one the most expensive seats in the country, and also one of the most important.
And, he knows that last election’s Democratic challenger, Diane Farrell, collected more than $3 million in campaign contributions, only to lose by a narrow margin on Election Day. Yet none of this has discouraged the former vice president of Goldman, Sachs and Co. from throwing his hat in the ring.
“I am working as hard as I can,” said Himes, a Cos Cob resident and Democrat. “I am going to win this race.”
Since he announced his intention to run, Himes has raised over $600,000. In the second quarter of the year alone, less than 11 weeks into Himes’s campaign, the first-time congressional candidate posted a total of $352,000 raised. This is an amount, according to spokesman Michael Gordon, that no candidate running against Shays has ever posted in their first months.
During the third quarter of the year, from July through September, he raised almost $260,000. As of the end of September, the most recent reporting period, he still had $546,699 in the bank. Shays raised $360,308 during the three months that concluded at the end of September, and has pulled in $848,031 overall. He has $593,791 in his war chest.
“[They] are on pace to set a record,” said Dr. John Orman, chair of the politics department at Fairfield University. “You have to have money to look respectable.”
In 2006, former Westport Selectwoman Farrell lost to Shays by narrow 51 to 48 percent of the vote. Farrell, who also lost to Shays in a close race in 2004, raised more than $3 million for her 2006 campaign. Shays, who has been able to garner loyal donors over his 20 years in office, raised more than $3.8 million during the race.
The race was the ninth-most expensive in the country in 2006. The huge sums of money were required because of the 4th district’s close proximity to the expensive New York media market.
Himes’ early showing has garnered approving attention from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has long targeted Shays. Connecticut is widely known for its Democratic tendencies, having voted for both Vice President Al Gore and Sen. John Kerry in the last two presidential elections. In addition, Shays is the only Republican in the entire Connecticut delegation. This is not only a seat the Democratic Party wants, but also, according to an official with the committee, a seat the Democrats think they can gain.
“Jim Himes will have to raise a fair amount of money just to compete,” said the official. “A struggle to raise money means a struggle to convince people of your message.… But the goal is to meet with as many people as possible, to get the message out there”
She added, “Washington has gotten to Chris Shays.”
Himes is certainly taking the committee’s advice and getting to the people. While he raised less during the third quarter of the year than during the second, the majority of the contributions came in donations of $250 or less. He called this a good sign.
“The very high number of grass-roots donors indicates that people are very excited with change,” he said. “It’s great to be a candidate.”
Himes out-raised Shays in the second quarter by more than $70,000 and was only about $100,000 behind Shays in the third. This, paired with the narrow margin of Shays’ victory in 2006, has caused Republicans to sit up.
“The reality is that we are going to give [Shays] every resource he needs,” said Julie Shutley, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Money is a factor, but it’s not the only factor.”
This may be one point upon which Democrats and Republicans can agree. Himes, for example, calls the focus on fundraising a “shame,” preferring to talk about issues, like the Iraq war.
“Chris Shays needs to be held accountable for getting us into that catastrophe,” he said, referring to Shays’ support of President Bush, and his stated belief that progress is being made in Iraq. “He has ignored other issues.”
John Armstrong, a self-employed information technology consultant from Weston, donated $1,000 to Himes’ campaign committee. Although Armstrong notes that he tries to be proactive by donating to congressional campaigns, he understands what the money will ultimately be used for.
“[Himes] is building a war chest,” Armstrong said. “He will spend it on advertising, unfortunately. It’s the nature of the world these days. Hopefully he’ll do a good job selling his position.”
Even though Himes may feel that it is an “outrage” to focus on the fundraising aspect of his campaign, he realizes that it is all part of the political process, especially in the expensive 4th district,. Pleased as he is with the “self-gratifying” support he has received from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and with the number of people he has already reached, Himes said he is merely interested in getting his message out there.
“I am interested in recapturing all of those things that make this country great,” he said. “Law, opportunity and good government.”
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