Good morning and welcome back to the Tip Sheet, a weekly newsletter from Tom Dudchik’s Capitol Report written by Mike Cerulli.

We’re bringing you a slightly abridged Tip Sheet on this holiday weekend. We’ll recap the latest fundraising numbers out of the 1st Congressional District and the big endorsement that landed over the weekend.

Let’s dive in…

Bronin outraises Larson in Q3

If you query the Amtrak website for trips from Hartford to Washington in November of next year, you’ll find tickets starting around $60. If you want to take that trip as Congressman-elect, expect to tack on a few million dollars to the cost of that ticket. That’s how much it will likely cost to emerge victorious in the crowded race to represent the district that includes Hartford and a sprawling tangle of communities around it.

In the race to raise the necessary funds to mount a successful campaign, the former mayor of the capital city posted an impressive haul in the latest reporting period.

$1.18 million worth of donations flowed into Luke Bronin’s coffers in the last few months, according to figures published by his campaign ahead of the official filing deadline.

Bronin’s third quarter figure was larger than the one John Larson, the longtime incumbent, posted. Larson’s campaign said the congressman raised around $800,000.

The fundraising numbers touched off a bit of a back and forth between the two men, with Jillian Gilchrest lobbing some lines of her own into the mix.

You can read more about that exchange here.

Murphy endorses Larson

On Saturday, Chris Murphy offered his political clout to his old friend John Larson – publicly endorsing the congressman while nodding to their long history as political allies.

Read more about Murphy’s endorsement here.

Proto’s new role

Ben Proto wears a lot of hats. He’s an attorney in private practice, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, and now, he’s also the chair of the Republican National Committee’s budget committee.

Michael Gruters, the RNC chair, announced Proto’s appointment along with the hiring of a new general counsel.

Odds and ends

Fake lip pillows abound

Frequent Tip Sheet readers will recall our analysis of the so-called “Zyn vote” in the lead up to the 2024 election. For those that aren’t up to date on the modern marvel that is tobacco-free nicotine delivery, Zyns are a line of nicotine pouches made by the Connecticut-based tobacco giant Philip Morris International.

If you’ve been around the Capitol lately, you’ve probably noticed a proliferation of hockey puck shaped outlines in the pockets of young staffers, lobbyists, and legislators – perhaps your favorite newsletter author and television reporter, too.

The popularity of the smokeless, tobacco-free pouches among young people – and their emerging status as a totem for the bro politics that are reshaping the electorate – have also given rise to a sizable counterfeit market that has attracted the attention of consumers and the authorities. Sofia Hamilton at Reason recently filed a report on that concerning phenomena. 

Ned faces the music at Invisible town hall

If you’ve been holding your breath to see when Ned Lamont will announce his decision on re-election, you’re probably at serious risk of permanent brain damage at this point. The governor has been slow walking his formal announcement even as any doubts about his intentions have faded to near zero.

Lamont recently headlined a town hall with the Stamford chapter of the advocacy group Indivisible. Governors who are on the off ramp toward retirement typically don’t subject themselves to such activities. John Moritz was in the room and painted an excellent portrait of the mood among the Democratic Party’s activist base.

Live from New York its…Dick Blumenthal?

When you think of Dick Blumenthal, surely one of the first things to cross your mind is, “Wouldn’t this guy make for a great SNL character?”

Apparently, the writers at 30 Rock think so.

Mikey Day did his best impression of Connecticut’s senior senator this weekend. We’re still waiting on Mr. Blumenthal’s full assessment of how well the sketch captured his essence.

We’ll be back next week with a full length Tip Sheet!