The Associated Press reports that Westport's Democratic First Selectman Diane Farrell took the first formal steps for a rematch with Republican Congressman Christopher Shays:
Farrell, a Democrat who lost to Shays in 2004, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission that will allow her to begin raising money for her campaign.
Shays, meanwhile, will file an FEC report Friday that will show he has already raised about $500,000 for his re-election bid, according to his campaign manager Michael Sohn. Sohn said Shays will finish the second quarter of the year with about $375,000 in cash on hand.
Last November Shays beat Farrell by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent. A rematch could be another close one. Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says the Connecticut race will be a top priority for the Democrats. Shays has had a number of public battles with his Republican leadership, including his determined push for campaign finance reform that cost him the chairmanship of the Government Reform Committee.
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