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HARTFORD With one month to go before the state Republican convention, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney of Fairfield has raised the highest amount of any candidate for governor in the all-important money race.

McKinney had raised more than $178,000 in small contributions by the end of the first quarter on March 31. He was followed by Greenwich business executive Tom Foley at $131,000 and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton at $121,000, according to public documents.

But Boughton has combined with his lieutenant governor candidate, Heather Somers, to raise a combined $184,000 in qualified contributions as they try to reach the necessary threshold of $250,000 to qualify for public financing. Under a Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in 2010, running mates can combine their money in order to reach the threshold.

"We picked a very clear path on how to get to our qualifying amount,'' Boughton said Tuesday. "Heather has to raise another $20,000, and I have to raise another $45,000. We would like to qualify before walking into the convention.''

The Republicans will be choosing their candidates for governor and other statewide offices at the convention on May 17 at the Mohegan Sun casino. Any candidate who receives the votes of at least 15 percent of the delegates will qualify for an August primary. The winner then would run in the fall against Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

The main candidates have said they will be seeking public financing, which requires them to raise $250,000 in amounts up to a maximum of $100. As such, they need 2,500 contributors at $100 each. If the average falls below $100, then they would need even more contributors a task politicians say is more difficult than it appears. If they reach the threshold, they would qualify for $6 million in public funds to run in the general election.

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti was in fourth place among Republican gubernatorial candidates at more than $110,000, while former West Hartford town council member Joseph Visconti and Avon attorney Martha Dean trailed with less than $9,000 each. Dean was the last candidate to enter the race, but she was among five candidates on the stage last week at the Mark Twain House in Hartford for the first major televised debate of the season.

In addition, lieutenant governor candidate Penny Bacchiochi, a state legislator from Stafford Springs, raised more than $82,000. Her total would provide a significant boost to any candidate if she joined a ticket.

The money-raising totals cover the period that ended on March 31. Malloy has been raising money this month for his campaign, but he did not sign his filing papers as a candidate until April 1, which was the start of the next fundraising period.

McKinney, the son of a former member of the U.S. Congress who is well known in Fairfield County, reported more than 2,000 individual contributors to his campaign. McKinney noted that he is ahead of the pace of others who have qualified for public funds in the past and said that he is "pleased with our progress and well on our way to qualifying.''

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Republican Candidates Race Toward $250,000 Threshold