Donations to Lori Hopkins-Cavanagh, the Republican 2nd District congressional candidate whose campaign has so far been largely self-financed, have increased.

Just under 60 percent of her campaign is self-funded, according to recent documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, while her loans constituted 73 percent of the campaign's income in July.

In the past three months, Hopkins-Cavanagh brought in $15,109 worth of contributions, including $2,600 each from gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley and former U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon. But she still lags behind incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, who raised more than $230,000 in contributions during the same time period.

Approximately 43 percent of Courtney's donations were from individuals, and the balance was contributed by political committees, according to the October quarterly report, which was due to the FEC on Wednesday.

Several local politicians were among Courtney's donors, including City of Groton Mayor Marian Galbraith and state Reps. Kevin Ryan, D-Montville; Ed Jutila, D-East Lyme, and Thomas Vicino, D-Clinton.

The retired president of Hartford-based aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, David Hess, has contributed $1,000 to Courtney so far this campaign cycle.

Several employees at Electric Boat were also among the individual donors to Courtney's campaign, as well as several attorneys, physicians, academics and CEOs. Other contributors were farmers, small business owners and retirees.

Individuals who donated to Hopkins-Cavanagh include a winemaker, a senior living manager and a software developer.

The Vernon Town Republican Committee is also a big supporter - it has contributed $1,450 to date - and Waterford Republican Women also has donated.

Unions and other political committees made up a large chunk of Courtney's donations, including groups representing bankers, the medical industry and defense manufacturers. The General Dynamics Corp. Political Action Committee has contributed $10,000 so far this election.

But among his donors were committees representing occupations that are less frequently considered in political discourse: cigar and pipe retailers, beer wholesalers and rural letter carriers, for example.

The candidates' expense reports paint a picture of their different lives on the campaign trail.

Most of Hopkins-Cavanagh's $17,433 in expenses this quarter went to routine campaign spending: rent, utilities, office supplies, gas and vehicle maintenance. She also spent a couple of hundred dollars on advertisements and promoted posts on Facebook.

The campaign only paid out $170 for workers' meal expenses, all at the pizzeria next to Hopkins-Cavanagh's campaign headquarters. There are no expenses recorded for health insurance.

Things are different for a well-funded four-term incumbent: Courtney's campaign spent $450,912 in expenses this quarter, including nearly $6,300 worth of meals from restaurant and catering companies in Connecticut and Washington, D.C., over the past three months.

Courtney's campaign spent money on health insurance payments, financial consulting, gifts for event hosts, plane tickets and rental cars. It bought $278,124 of advertising through Screen Strategies Media.

The Democrat's campaign also made a few contributions of its own: $2,000 to Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, who is up for re-election, and $2,100 to the Democratic State Central Committee. It also transferred $21,700 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Minor party candidates Dan Reale, a Libertarian, and Bill Clyde, a member of the Green Party, are not required to make reports with the FEC because they have raised less than $5,000.

k.catalfamo@theday.com

Twitter: @kccatalfamo