VP Candidate Paul Ryan Stopping In West Hartford, Darien, Greenwich on Sunday

Little Connecticut has only seven electoral votes, but it has lots of cash.

That’s why Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is coming for three events in West Hartford, Darien, and Greenwich on Sunday in order to raise big money to fill the campaign coffers. It is the same reason why Vice President Joe Biden, who faces off with Ryan in their only debate on October 11, will be coming to Kent two days later on October 13.

The first Ryan fundraiser Sunday will be at the palatial mansion of entrepreneur Arnold Chase at the top of Avon Mountain in West Hartford. Chase’s spectacular home can be seen for miles, and is blocked off from the traffic along Albany Avenue by an enormous gate.

Some of the top Republicans in the state are serving as the co-chairs for the first event, including former U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, former state Rep. Brian Flaherty, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Barbara Hackman Franklin and her husband, industrialist Wally Barnes. The biggest contributors will arrive earlier than the rest of the group and will pay $10,000 per person for a roundtable with Ryan. The general reception at noon costs $1,000 per person, while those seeking a picture with Ryan will pay $5,000 per photo.

Ryan will then leave Chase’s mansion and head south to Darien for an afternoon reception at the Woodway Country Club with the same contribution ranges as in West Hartford. He will then head later to Greenwich for a reception at the waterfront home of state Sen. L. Scott Frantz, a longtime fundraiser who has hosted his friend, presidential candidate Mitt Romney, multiple times. Frantz said in an interview that he expects more than 300 people to attend at a minimum of $1,000 each, but he said that the final attendance and money totals will not be known until Sunday.

“We have no idea what the numbers are going to look like,’’ Frantz told Capitol Watch earlier this week. “Hopefully, a ton of people show up.’’

The Democratic fundraiser with Biden on October 13 will include a musical performance by singer Audra McDonald, said Elizabeth Larkin, spokeswoman for the Connecticut Democratic Party. A well-known actress, McDonald starred as Dr. Naomi Bennett on ABC’s “Private Practice.’’ She has won five Tony awards for Broadway plays like “Carousel,’’ “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Master Class,” “Ragtime’’ and “Porgy and Bess.’’

Larkin told The Courant’s Amanda Falcone that there are no plans for President Barack Obama to visit Connecticut during this campaign season.

John Olsen, a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, said the big-money event will have multiple tiers for donors who want to spend at various levels.

“You get in for $1,000,’’ said Olsen, the longtime president of the state AFL-CIO and a plumber by trade. “It’s not your typical Democratic event. It ain’t the typical Democratic $25 town committee picnic with hamburgers and hot dogs.’’

Democrats, Olsen said, had been discussing a possible appearance in Connecticut by First Lady Michele Obama, but the schedule worked with Biden.

With the Secret Service providing security for Ryan, Olsen noted that it is difficult to find any staging areas on the narrow, winding streets near the waterfront in Greenwich for the Republican fundraiser.

“If anybody goes down to protest down there,’’ Olsen said, “you’ll get run over by a limousine.’’