In 2002, two incumbents fought for their political lives in the newly redrawn Fifth District. The winner, 10-term Republican Nancy Johnson, spent more than any candidate elected to the House in 2002. Both Johnson and her opponent, three-term Democrat Jim Maloney, are moderates who tried to distinguish themselves on effectiveness in office. The race played out under Connecticut's unusual rules, which forbid soft money, including national party soft money transfers to state parties. Johnson's financial advantage allowed her to go on the air early and forced Maloney to rely on others, such as the DCCC and the AFLÐ CIO, to run ads in his behalf. When these groups went negative early on, Maloney was branded with the stigma of a negative campaigner despite the fact that he had not yet run an ad. In addition to the extremely negative air war, the intense ground war, noted for the Republican “feet in the street” efforts, highlighted the increasing importance of grassroots campaigning.