Art House, Democratic candidate for the 8th District state Senate seat, personally contributed $2,750 to the presidential campaign of Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd in 2006 and 2007.
House is a "senior vice president of public affairs," i.e., full-time lobbyist, for Webster Bank.
Dodd, embroiled in controversy and under the cloud of an ethics investigation in the Senate over "VIP" mortgages he received before the collapse of the mortgage industry, is the powerful chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
House, according to the Huffington Post's campaign donation Web site, has contributed $9,100 to presidential candidates in the past two elections. In 2004, he contributed to the campaigns of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and Gen. Wesley Clark. In addition to Dodd, he contributed to the 2008 campaign of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
A past supporter and advisor to Lieberman, House later became an advisor to the campaign of Ned Lamont, who challenged Lieberman successfully in the primary for Senate two years ago but unsuccessfully in the general election after Lieberman switched and ran as an independent.