Stewart campaign races against the clock for more than $2.8 million in public funds for primary campaign. Can it make it by an eyelash?

As scandal continues to envelop the Stewart for Governor campaign, it is in a race for the $2.8 million campaign finance grant in public funds for the Republican primary on August 11th. Thousands of pages of charges Erin Stewart made on the New Britain credit card, despite warnings, when she was mayor may include expenses that ought to have been paid by Stewart’s 2018 campaign committees when she was a candidate for governor and then lieutenant governor.

A major party nominee for governor who has qualified for public financing will receive $18 million this year. That’s a lot of orders at Shutterfly and Minted. The Hartford Club, a favorite Stewart haunt, would have reason to celebrate.

The thousands of pages of documents may include expenses that were paid by the city but should have been covered by Stewart’s 2026 exploratory and candidate committees. NBC Connecticut identified two airline tickets Stewart charged to New Britain for an April 8, 2025 trip to the White House. One ticket was for Stewart, the other for her Rasputin, John Healey. Healey was chief of staff of the Senate Republican caucus at the time.

While in Washington, the pair met with the officials of the Republican Governors Association. Healey has acted as Stewart’s closest political adviser for more than a decade and was her first chief of staff when Stewart was elected mayor of New Britain in 2013. The two have known each other since their families attended St. Maurice in New Britain.

The primary purpose for including Healey in the trip may be seen as political, a photo opportunity at the White House and then a meeting with the Republican Governors Association as Stewart was exploring a race for governor and had registered her committee with the State Elections Enforcement Commission on January 23, 2025.

Shifting expenses away from a campaign committee in order to conserve contributions has caused considerable grief to candidates hoping to tap into the state’s extravagant publicly funded campaign finance program. A recent chilling example is the conviction of former state Senator Dennis Bradley (D-Bridgeport). He paid for what was billed as a client appreciation event but was by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, a jury found, a campaign launch. The scheme caused Bradley campaign associates to plead guilty to a host of charges arising from their involvement in the ruse.

When measured along with the apparel, meals, entertainment, housewares, cosmetics and other purchases–including a lot of false eyelashes–the Healey ticket to fly and the meeting with the RGA look like expenses borne by the people of New Britain but unrelated to their interests.

The guardians and administrators of the Citizens Election Program may have reason to pause before wiring $2.8 million to Stewart after Saturday’s Republican nominating convention. Any candidate for governor who has qualified for the program and receives 15% of the delegate votes receives the money. The SEEC is permitted to review the veracity of an application at any time it has reason to suspect it was incomplete or misleading. A period of reflection would provide Stewart with the time she said Tuesday she needs to review the records that are causing so much trouble for her and her campaign.

Published May 13, 2026.