Word came late yesterday that the Democratic candidate in the special election for the 32nd Senate District, Kenny Curran, has qualified for Citizens Election Program funding.  Coming more than two weeks after his Republican opponent Rob Kane qualified, Curran’s campaign may be crunched by the tight calendar.  The special election is set for January 15.

The new Citizens’ Election Program is a public financing system implemented by the legislature and signed by Governor Rell in 2005.  During the course of a general election, candidates for State Senate will be required to meet two thresholds to qualify for public financing – 300 donors from towns touched by the Senate District and $15,000 raised in increments of between $5 - $100.  Upon qualifying, the CEP grant for State Senate is $85,000.  In the case of the special election, Kane and Curran each needed to raise $11,250 and have 225 in-district contributors, to receive the grant of $63,750.  Any money not used at the end of the campaign will go back into the Citizens Election Program to be doled out to future campaigns.

Both candidates have posted websites, found at www.robkaneforsenate.com and www.kenforsenate.com.  Voters in the 32nd District can learn more about the two candidates at these sites.  You can also read about Rob Kane at his campaign blog, http://www.robkaneforsenate.blogspot.com.