The candidates who can spend big over the four weeks before the Aug. 14 primary will make a race for it in a district where a few thousand votes could make the difference.

Elizabeth Esty has nearly $1 million in the bank.  That means more TV ads, more glossy mailings and more chances to get her name in front of the voters for a candidate still looking to introduce herself to voters. Chris Donovan reported having about $570,000 on hand, while Dan Roberti has about $290,000. Look for Esty, who has remained largely quiet during the Donovan fundraising controversy, to make a push as an outsider who is willing to challenge the system.

Among Republicans, Paz reports that Andrew Roraback has about $263,000, but with his rivals Lisa Wilson Foley (no hyphen!) and Mark Greenberg  willing to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own money into the race that may not be enough. Greenberg has about $750,000 on hand, most of it his own money. Wilson Foley has about $450,00o on hand. With four candidates and about perhaps only 30,000 people voting, how much money a candidate has will make the difference here.

Check out Matt Kauffman’s excellent breakdown and Amanda Falcone’s story in the Courant.