Conn. (WFSB) - November’s election is less than a month away.

This week, Channel 3 has been profiling candidates running for Congress.

Tonight, our focus is on the third congressional district.

The third congressional district is located in Central Connecticut and includes cities like New Haven, Middletown, and Stratford.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has been all over the Naugatuck Valley looking at flood damage from the heavy rain storm in August.

“We have to move quickly,” DeLauro said.

DeLauro has been pushing Congress to get disaster relief to homeowners. She is the longest-serving member of Connecticut’s congressional delegation.

At 81, she doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

“Age is a number,” she said.

DeLauro, known for her bright colors and bold patterns, is running for re-election.

She says one of her best accomplishments was passing the child tax credit.

“The biggest middle-class tax cut we have seen in a generation, almost half our kids out of poverty. It lowered the hunger rate by almost 25%,” said DeLauro.

Since she’s been in office she says she’s brought $57 million to her district to help fund community projects.

She holds quite a bit of power. In 2020 she became chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

However, republicans took back control of the house in 2022. She is hoping to win back control.

“When you have the gavel and somebody says you can’t do a billion dollars for childcare or Title 1 public education, hell yes we can do it. When you are in charge you can do that,” DeLauro said.

She’s now focused on making the child tax credit permanent and how to cut taxes for the middle class.

“I have no hatred for her, but it’s time for you to go. You are 80 years old, you tried your best,” said Michael Massey.

Michael Massey is the republican challenger. He has never run for a political office.

“We need someone like me in Congress, at least one to say the way you want to fix what is wrong,” Massey said.

He doesn’t shy away from his past.

“It took a lot of time away from my family, but I changed my life in jail,” he said.

Massey spent a decade in prison for a bank robbery. He says Donald Trump got him to run.

“Most of the people in the jail are here because we’re broke. Like, all our crimes are drugs and robberies, and I like that Donald Trump talks money,” Massey said.

Massey says he believes Trump’s plan to take billions away from the Department of Education budget and send it back to the states will create jobs.

He wants to use that money to help families struggling in our urban cities.

“Give that money as bonuses to the parents whose kids are getting honors. This will incentivize kids who want to do better in school,” Massey explained.

His biggest complaint is what’s happening in cities like New Haven with bad test scores, people getting shot, and drugs being sold.

“In these urban neighborhoods, all our leaders are democrats, all these urban neighborhoods. And the culture are so corrosive and our leaders are not taking any responsibility to fix it,” said Massey.

Channel 3 reached out to the DeLauro campaign on what Massey has to say about Connecticut’s urban neighborhoods. They would not comment.

Tomorrow night we head to the second congressional district. The race is between Congressman Courtney and Republican Mike France.