Sam Caligiuri and Mark Greenberg have both gained the National Republican Congressional Committee’s coveted “On the Radar” status. A third GOP candidate in the race, Justin Bernier, has already achieved that goal.
The “On the Radar” designation identifies promising Republican candidates. It is the first tier of the party’s Young Guns program.
To gain admission to the program, candidates must meet certain fundraising benchmarks as well as other requirements, such as establishing a communication plan, tapping into social media and hiring campaign staff.
“We want to make sure their putting together a winning plan,” NRCC Spokesman Tory Mazzola said. The party does not release the fundraising benchmarks it sets for the candidates.
Bernier, Caligiuri and Greenberg each hope to knock off Democratic incumbent Chris Murphy.
Bernier and Caligiuri have yet to release their first quarter of 2010 fundraising numbers. Greenberg, who is partly self-funding his campaign, said he raised $77,335 during the first quarter of 2010 and lent the campaign an additional $271,500.
The NRCC is not officially endorsing any of the candidates. Having three contenders with “On the Radar” status isn’t unheard of, Mazzola said. He cited New York and Pennsylvania as other places where multiple candidates are running.
“It’s not uncommon for us to have more than one candidate involved in the program,” he said. “In this case, it demonstrates a growning frustration with Chris Murphy.”