Dan Roberti Tops $300,000, Mike Williams Breaks $100,000 in 5th District. Wilson-Foley Faces Flak Over Murphy Donations.

Dan Roberti, son of Beltway lobbyist and fundraiser Vincent Roberti, is getting plenty of fuel from his father’s connections to underwrite his campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 5th District, the seat being vacated by incumbent Christopher Murphy to make a bid for the United States Senate. Roberti, until recently a student with plenty of his own to donate to political committees, raised more than $300,000 in the second quarter of the year, according to his campaign. That brings his total to a record breaking $555,000.

Rival Mike Williams, a Wesleyan political science professor who lives in New Preston, raised more than $100,000 in his first quarter of fundraising since launching his campaign.  Williams’ haul, according to campaign manager Calvin Walsh, came almost entirely from voters in the sprawling 5th District and averaged about $500 a throw.

House Speaker Christopher Donovan, also in the Democratic scrum for the seat, reported raising over $200,000 in the quarter that ended on June 30th.  Democrat Elizabeth Esty, a former state legislator who served one term in the House, will also have filed a report today.

House campaigns will be scrutinizing each other’s reports this weekend to determine where candidates are getting their money. One candidate is facing some headwinds over past donations.  Republicans in the 5th are grumbling about Lisa Wilson-Foley’s generous contributions to Democrat Murphy’s first two congressional campaigns.  In 2006, according to Opensecrets.org, Wilson-Foley contributed $2,800 to Murphy in his first race against Republican favorite, incumbent Nancy Johnson.  In his first re-election bid, Wilson-Foley gave the liberal Democrat $2,300.

Daily Ructions can report that Wilson-Foley’s contributions have raised eyebrows among the party faithful as they try to figure out why she was an enthusiastic supporter of Murphy, whose record is expected to come under heavy fire from Republicans. The wife of nursing home mogul Brian Foley may have some trouble explaining the donations as she makes the rounds of Republican town committee events. What she preferred in Murphy over Johnson and 2008 Republican nominee David Cappiello could make for some homina-homina-homina moments on the trail.

Wilson-Foley donated $1,000 to Johnson in 2002 and $200 to her in 2005.