Associated Press: Murphy shares campaign riches with Connecticut Democrats

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — With a campaign war chest 100 times bigger than his little-known opponent’s, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is sharing some of his riches with Connecticut Democrats in hopes of helping the party continue its dominance in state races.

Murphy, who is seeking a second term in November, has transferred $320,000 from his campaign to the state’s Democratic party. The 45-year-old Democrat has developed a national profile, partly for his stance on stronger gun laws, and frequently appears on national TV. At the same time, he’s been knocking on doors across Connecticut with more than 30 legislative hopefuls and appearing alongside the party’s nominee for governor, Ned Lamont.

“This is an exceptional year,” Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Given the importance of this election in Connecticut and the way in which so many folks are plugged into what’s happening in Washington, I wanted to make sure we were doing everything possible to get the highest turnout we could.” …

It is not uncommon for well-known U.S. senators to build large fundraising bases and transfer some of the money to help their party locally, according to Stephen Spaulding, chief of strategy at the election watchdog group Common Cause in Washington, D.C.

“That’s a big part of fundraising,” he said. “It is to build up power and influence, both within their own elected bodies … but also within their home states.”