Former state Rep. Anthony Nania (R) is planning to announce his bid for Congress in early January, joining state Sen. David Cappiello (R) in the race to take on freshman Rep. Christopher Murphy (D).

“I can tell you pretty exactly that yes, I’m considering it,” Nania said. “I’m on the brink of setting up an exploratory committee.”

Nania’s entrance into the race, first reported by local and national media outlets earlier this week, was a bit of a surprise to state and national Republicans. Nania was a lawmaker for three terms in the 1980s but has spent the past 16 years as a CEO or chairman for companies in Canaan, according to his resume. Cappiello has been highly touted by the National Republican Congressional Committee since he entered the race.

Nania’s ties to the business community could be a solid foundation for fundraising. However, Cappiello spokesman Adam Bauer pointed out that his candidate has raised more money than Murphy did at this point two years ago.

“We’re focused on the tasks at hand, which is putting out David’s vision for the future” and “drawing contrasts to Chris Murphy,” he said.

Murphy defeated 12-term Rep. Nancy Johnson in 2006 with 54 percent of the vote.

— Shira Toeplitz