WETHERSFIELD - Social distancing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted 28th House District candidate Amy Morrin Bello to take her first fundraiser of the campaign to social media, but she probably didn’t even need to do that.

       Bello, a Democratic former Mayor now serving as the Council’s Minority Leader, announced in last Wednesday evening’s Facebook live event that she’s already qualified for public campaign financing.

       Candidates must accumulate at least 150 local donors – Bello got 170 – and raise a minimum $5300 to tap into the State Elections Commission, established as means for keeping powerful interests from influencing state legislative races.

       "These are really difficult times to be campaigning, so this was really a grassroots effort,” Bello told her digital audience from her kitchen Wednesday night. "We have a group of great town residents who have already stepped up. They've given me lots of words of encouragement and I wouldn't be making this awesome announcement without their support."

       Now she’ll set her sights on the Democratic caucus, which will see her and fellow former Mayor Paul Montinieri – the former Wethersfield Democratic Town Committee (WDTC) Chair – vie for the party’s nomination.

       When that will happen, like most things, remains up in the air.

       We don't know yet,” Bello said over the phone Friday. â€�"It's truly uncharted territory."

       â€�"It’s a brave new world for sure, but we have a great group of volunteers and we continue to push on,” said Martha Conneeley, a WDTC member serving as one of Bello’s campaign managers.

       Bello’s second political director is none other than Russ Morin, who will vacate the 28th District seat when his term expires this coming November.

       Both Bello and Montinieri are racking up their share of endorsements, with the latter holding an early March fundraiser attended by former Senators Billy Ciotto and Paul Doyle, as well as State Rep. Kerry Wood.

       Former Democratic Deputy Mayor Brendan Flynn and former Democratic Town Councilor Mary Bretton are among those in Bello’s camp.

       "We literally raised out children together. Serving under her leadership was a great experience and taught me a lot about leadership,” Bretton said. â€�"She's got a great ability to look at a wide array of issues at the same time and listen to all stakeholders."

       With Bello over the first hurdle, Thursday night’s Facebook live chat was a short event. Bello used the slot to thank first responders and hospital workers for their efforts to mitigate the pandemic, touching briefly on her agenda for healthcare reform in the state.

       â€�"One of the reasons I'm running is to make sure people have affordable access to prescriptions and healthcare, and this pandemic shows us how important that is,” Bello said.

       Bello’s stance on the issue – her campaign site calls for capping out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, expanding access to mental health support, and measures to combat the opioid crisis – is among the reasons Flynn says he’s backing her campaign.

       But Flynn, who ran Morin’s campaigns over the years, says it stretches beyond that – into economic issues such as Bello’s support for a higher minimum wage and sick leave protections for the state’s most vulnerable workers.

       â€�"You look at what's happening today you realize there are an awful lot of people in Connecticut that don't have a safety net of any kind,” Flynn said.