Brown-Moore State Senate Primary–Incumbency Versus Top-Line Mantra

Incumbent Marilyn Moore

In any given year on paper the Democratic primary match-up between incumbent State Senator Marilyn Moore and party-endorsed City Councilman Marcus Brown would be a foregone conclusion. Moore’s name recognition, standing in the district and built-in power of incumbency would normally carry the day.

That may very well happen on August 11, but this primary vote is an outlier given it’s also a presidential preference primary with Brown running on Joe Biden’s line. In addition, every registered Democrat in Connecticut’s 22nd Senate District may vote by absentee ballot. So far more than 5,000 Democrats in the district–all of Trumbull and portions of Bridgeport and Monroe–have requested an absentee ballot following Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill mailing applications to all Democratic electors due to the health pandemic.

Many voters who do not normally participate in primaries will cast ballots given the heightened interest for Democrats to punish Donald Trump and access to absentee ballots. In 2016, the last time Moore had a primary in a convincing win over Tom McCarthy, 4,235 votes were cast district wide.

How many will actually vote by absentee August 11 is unclear, but based on the record-breaking number of requests for this covid-delayed presidential primary it will dwarf anything from the past.

Democratic-endorsed Marcus Brown

Moore is largely emphasizing the goodies she’s brought back to the district as an incumbent while Brown is introducing himself, as the party-endorsed candidate, to suburban and city voters unfamiliar with his representation of Bridgeport’s West Side.

What is the antidote for Brown’s lack of recognition? Hammer home the mantra: start with Biden and vote top line. Brown will benefit from Biden’s presence, but how much?

Moore’s base of support continues to be Black Rock, that highly educated liberal bastion anathema to the political establishment. It was the only city precinct she carried in her failed write-in campaign for mayor in 2019 after coming within a whisker of taking out incumbent Joe Ganim in a primary.

The Bridgeport portion of the district ranges from Black Rock to the West Side up to the North End including the African American-rich Wilbur Cross precinct, a decidedly loyal voting block to mainstream Democrats such as Joe Biden as well as his eight years as vice president during the Barack Obama presidency. Do they fill in Biden’s oval and by extension Brown, or do they drop down to support Moore?

Bernie Sanders, despite ending his presidential race in support of Biden, decided to keep his name on the primary ballot, so Moore will appear next on his line.

Tons of phone calls and primary day palm cards for electors who show up for in-person voting will urge vote Biden and Brown, while Moore’s people will declare vote Biden and drop down to Moore.

This is one weird primary combining absentee ballots with a presidential primary. There’s no school for how it will impact the legislative races.

It could very well be that more people will vote by absentee ballot than show up for in-person voting.

That’s where Brown’s team is saying vote top line and Moore’s people are reminding don’t forget about Marilyn.

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49 comments

  1. Marilyn Moore cannot deliver the goodies without expanding the debt.
    There is no vaccine is sight to cure Connecticut’s fiscal disease. Don’t be surprised if Trump lets high tax/debt states like Connecticut go bankrupt without a bailout. Then debt becomes a millstone.
    Put another way, Marilyn Moore has costs that exceed their value and I’m prepared to use time, speed and money to prove it.

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    1. Why write an “introductory” paragraph when you could simply go for the gold in dealing specifically with the value of Moore’s works to the community?
      What do you mean by “goodies”, LE? Are these items or services in the State capital budget or in the operating budget? If they are in the operating budget, then they do not increase debt, do they, unless the revenue projections fail. Why do you bring in Trump’s ‘fiscal positioning? Is it something the history books will be congratulating in future years?
      You truly enjoy ‘economic fiction’ rather than ‘facts’, beating on the anti-borrowing drum. Return to Bridgeport and lay out some of the FIVE YEAR PLANNING where the Council approves plans presented to them, without hearings of substance so that voters get to know what capital items are necessary, at a cost of how much, and by when, if you care.
      Are you prepared to use time, speed and money to prove your dystopian ideas, or are you just out in a summer field, re-chewing your cud? Time will tell.

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      1. JML, you have become OIB’s chief resident complainer. Your posts have questions that exceed your input.
        Thanks to the pandemic, the same BDC (business development company) that first put homes back on Bridgeport’s tax rolls in 2009 is back in the real estate workout business.
        The ink on the facts of the past has dried. The ink on any upcoming defaults is still wet.

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        1. JML, to answer your questions:
          Bankruptcy doesn’t need an introduction.
          Lennie defined “goodies”.
          My facts are better than yours.
          Here’s why I brought Trump into the story:
          David Walker taught me that Connecticut cannot go bankrupt.
          Yet Trump is already considering it. He can let us fall off the fiscal cliff.
          Connecticut’s debt-riddled balance sheet would make us vulnerable to default
          and MM’s recent actions would be partially to blame.

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          1. “Local”, time to wake up, take some deep breaths and get away from your Trump fantasies. What I heard David Walker say, back in the day, was: “You have to grow the Net Taxable Grand List faster than you grow the budget.” He said that frequently because our City Fund Balance had dipped close to 2% and today it has risen to nearly twice that. Improvement?
            LE where are the other conspirators in the plot to bury Connecticut in debt, keep their balance sheet unhealthy, and pay for things of which you make no expression of oppositiion, or is she singly responsible while you reference your oversight, such as it is? One question. No complaints here. Can you out all of them? Time will tell.

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  2. Prove it then.
    You keep on blah, blah, blah I gotta and never say anything.
    I would rather have a State Senator who tries than to have one who does nothing but the bidding of the DTC.
    Tell me one thing that Marcus Brown did that has has a positive impact that did not cost money.
    I’m waiting.

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  3. Paul, where you been man? I just wondering because Rich picked up your lunacy and he doesn’t exhibit a well as you! Marilyn is the reason for the financial failure of Connecticut and Marcus Brown is the cure? That’s it right there Paul, that’s the LUNACY with which I speak! Go one and have another drink and try again tomorrow buddy. 🍸🍸

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  4. Explain to the audience how the state of Connecticut went from being the number one or two healthiest states in the country to where it is now…..and how long will it be on the “forever needy’ list and why?

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      1. Nah. I wait for the other two, to opine……after THEY do their research. I know why. I never ask questions that I don’t know the answer to …….here anyway!!!!
        Your not one of the “forever needy” right?!
        Cheers!!!!!

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  5. Trumbull voters are used to voting on multiple ballot lines. Unlike Bridgeport, a voter in a Trumbull Municipal election cannot just fill in the circles for all candidates on one ballot line. We have minimum minority party representation in Trumbull, so for Town Council, Board of Education and Board of Finance, a voter can only vote for one less than the number of candidates running on the Dem or Republican line, then shift to the other line or leave one contest blank. If you vote for all of one party’s candidates you have a spoiled ballot which is not counted.
    So, the Trumbull voters will look at each name and choose whom to vote for. There is no strong Biden coattails in the primary. In fact voters are voting to decide contested races such as D22, knowing the Presidential vote is meaningless, Biden already is the presumptive nominee.

    Brown in unknown in most of Trumbull. The sole communication I received from him (yesterday) had Marilyn Moore’s name and pictures plastered all over the mailer. I looked quickly and thought, another Moore mailer and was ready to toss it (she has my vote). By chance I saw it did nothing but bitch about Moore and how little she has brought to Bridgeport in bonding to create jobs for Bridgeport….to be honest Nobody in Trumbull or Monroe really gives a damn about creating jobs in Bridgeport’s east end.

    Not one word about Brown’s accomplishments (NONE, he represents a district where we own property and pay Bpt taxes), his ideas (NONE) or a single reason to vote for him (NONE).

    Brown has wasted taxpayer money on this mailer and done nothing to convince a Trumbull resident to vote for this BDTC puppet. We don’t need a State Senator controlled by Ganim/Testa.

    VOTE MARILYN MOORE…Two MOORE Years for our incumbent who has served us well.

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      1. Moore doesn’t have to……………………
        Brown has done nothing as a City Council member to reduce Bridgeport’s debt or spending.

        You are a broken record repeating the same meaningless thing over and over. As long as the state has to keep subsidizing the cities such as Bridgeport for 76% of their public school costs, etcx. The state will run a deficit.

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        1. Since when is Connecticut’s $81 billion debt a meaningless thing?
          If I wanted to lose an election I’d hire Marshall Marcus as my campaign manager!

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          1. It is meaningless in this primary election. Not meaningless in general. Brown brings nothing to the table. No experience, no independence and the stink of GanimTesta politics. How many more times will he stay at the Ritz Carlton at taxpayer expense. Make his stipend spending public. Proof he can’t be trusted to decide how to spend our taxpayer money

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  6. The wrong thing got done.
    During their last session, the GA produced zero legislation. However, with Marilyn Moore at the helm the Bond Commission found a way to spend/borrow another $520 million.
    I wonder how that debt diet’s working out?

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  7. Hey Paul.
    How Trump’s $3 trillion deficit doing?
    But olease just add a trillion more for big business and nothing for the working stiffs.
    At least the Dem’s borrow. The Trump Republicans just print more dollars and add to the deficit.
    And when that doesn’t work, well we’ll leave that to the Democrats to figure out.
    The Republicanswill be out of Washington by then.

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  8. No he can’t.
    He can only do what Joe and Mario tell him to do.
    Is that what you are saying?
    Joe and Mario want legalized sports betting???
    That’s a bit far fetched. Even for you.

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  9. An election cycle with unprecedented Absentee ballots,no holds barred!..Mario is like a kid in a candy store..Can only imagine his operation this time around,and to think Mario’s tentacles don’t reach into Trumbull & Monroe is foolish.Moore should be worried this time around..

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  10. I will be voting for Joe BIden than going down to vote for Moore. I think its great we have a young person running in Brown but I think moore has done a good job. I won’t say she is going to win through. Its going to be tough for her with brown on biden line. Biden is going to get 70 plus of the vote district wide and do over 20 percent of his voters break the line and go down to Moore idk that’s the big question.

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  11. Kind of on topic – I applied for an AB about two weeks ago – election is now one week away and I have not received by ballot in the mail – I respect the employees in the town clerk’s office (they are hard working civil service employees) so I’m chalking it up to volume of requests, but I’m now starting to wonder if it will be worth filing AB – may have to go in person after all. Leaving all the snark behind about AB’s anybody have legitimate insight regarding AB app turnaround?

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      1. thanks – hopefully mine will be there today – I don’t want to have to go to the polls to see if my ballot was received in time, since our mail goes to White Plains for processing – has anybody seen a drop box for ballots?

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  12. No matter which one of these two non-performing POLITICANS wins — Moore or Brown — Bridgeport loses and Trumbull wins… They are both supported primarily (no pun intended), in terms of $, political play, and physical campaign support, by Trumbull political players, out of town developers, and unions (sans significant Bridgeport membership, that are connected to out of town developers and run by suburb-based leadership)…

    Moore has rolled over for Trumbull — steam-rollered — over Bridgeport, deliberately sitting on her hands while Trumbull constructed a huge amount (regionally-contraindicated/environmentally problematic) of multi-unit housing directly on the Bridgeport border, creating huge flooding and traffic problems for Bridgeport… (These units will provide voters for the regional empowerment of Trumbull, at Bridgeport’s figurative and real expense, while supporting Moore’s Trumbull-lackey/suburb-lackey occupancy of the 22nd District Senate seat…).

    And Moore has accomplished LESS THAN 0 for Bridgeport. Her passionate embrace of the suburbs has helped in the G2 effort to render our city as carrion for whatever developer-vultures might want to snack on our assets with border-development, even as they use our inability to resist as they destroy our neighborhoods/quality of life with various types of jobless, suburb-serving infrastructure-development… (Not to mention the whole “Sacred Heart card”, as well as the death of our once proud, once-outstanding University of Bridgeport…)

    But no matter which one of these bought-and-paid-for candidates wins the seat, Bridgeport loses, and Trumbull wins.

    But, truly, G2 has overseen the final blood-letting and death of Bridgeport, so it probably really doesn’t matter anymore who we might field for any state office…

    We can most probably say “Goodbye Columbus” (it’s about time — he’s not getting un-packed until the Barnum museum re-opens=never), and “Goodbye Bridgeport” (our sad epilogue following the painful last chapter of an otherwise improbable municipal, historical novella)…

    Anyway, this is one primary election that might just as well not take place (except for maybe the Ayala-Felipe State Rep. contest in the 130th, which, while it won’t reverse the negative momentum of the city, will at least provide interesting economic-development ideas and political dialogue…).

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    1. @Jeff

      Get it Staright!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      D22 is NOT only in Bridgeport.
      D22 contains the entire Town of Trumbull, a small part of Monroe and part of Bridgeport.

      Senator Moore did not roll over for the suburbs. It is her job to produce for Trumbull. She is not the flunky of the City of Bridgeport.

      That’s why I am so opposed to Brown. I have seen him in action, or should I say inaction as a member of the Bpt City Council, bringing nothing to the district where we own property and pay taxes. He sure likes to spend his stipend on ultra expensive hotel rooms….
      He is nothing but the puppet of the Ganim/Testa machine and we don’t need him misrepresenting Trumbull’s interests in Hartford.

      You have another State Senator representing Bridgeport in Hartford, that’s two votes in the senate. You also have a few state house members. Trumbull has 1 house member representing only Trumbull, one representing Fairfield and 1/4 of Trumbull and one representing Shelton and less than 1/20th of Trumbull. All those State Reps are Republican, are in the minority, have no power and bring nothing back for Trumbull.
      You can be sure that’s just one reson why I voted for Moore’s reelection, deposited my AB today at 7am

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  13. Oh Jeff give it a break. Why is it that you always try to be the SMARTEST MAN IN THE ROOM? These are but a few of the $$$ Senator Moore has bought to Bridgeport. My best guess is that you don’t care about this you only want to hear the SMARTEST Man in the Room Talk.

    Moore shepherded nearly $6,900,100 grant-in-aid to repair the Barnum Museum.
    $1,854,000 grant-in-aid to the Discovery Museum.
    $850,000 grant-in-aid to assist Achievement First Bridgeport Academy.
    $850,000 grant-in-aid to assist Capital Prep Harbor.
    $775,592 grant-in-aid for improvements to Barnum, Batalla, Geraldine Johnson and Waltersville schools.
    $175,869 grant-in-aid to assist The Bridge Academy. 

    Smart man, you know she serves Trumbull as well and I never heard you complain about the white man who held this position prior to Senator Moore whether he bought anything to Bridgeport or whether he rolled over for Trumbull! Why don’t you run for Senator like you did for Mayor and steal another 27 votes from her.😂😂

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  14. JML, your negativity is chronic.
    The conspirators include (almost) all members of Connecticut’s GA and others benefiting from the “debt bubble” that begins with the Bond Commission. It’s the painless tax and pathway to “goodies”.
    To answer another question, what you call “my” fantasies are only a signature away from reality.
    Imagine my joy when I get to say time will tell. and it’s already in the past tense.
    (wink)

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    1. Maybe because Bridgeport voters want to upgrade their political leadership based on age, disposition and values.
      Life requires change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.
      Make the switch.

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  15. Paul,
    In your first entry above you warned us that you were prepared to expend ” speed, time, and money” to prove that Senator Moore’s costs exceed her value. That appears to be personally dishonest.

    Since then you have dueled with opposing views, spluttered what you seem to know, but you still believe that Senator Moore, (solely), has damaged you (in what manner), to what extent? Facts, facts, facts, are required. Your eleven entries indicate some awareness and time available on your part to play the most knowledgable on State borrowing this year and to inform us how it might have been decreased had you been our State Senator.. But you tell us nothing. That is, your 11 entries provide nothing of substance about what bothers you or the alternative running in this primary.

    And just above you use the word “upgrade” relative to a switch based on AGE, DISPOSITION and VALUES……but you do not mean bond or financial values, do you? Life provides change but does not always require change. You advise us to choose wisely and that is good advice. Nelson Mandela also advised us about choices, when he said: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” Of what are you afraid, but currently too tongue tied to speak clearly? Time will tell.

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  16. Brown’s second mailer arrived today.
    STOP insulting Trumbull voters.

    Brown has NOT fought for US and won anything………………………….
    Where is the senior tax cut? Not for the voters in Trumbull and Monroe
    What job training and placement? NOT for the residents in Trumbull and Monroe
    Lowering whose Mill rate…..NOT for the taxpayers in Trumbull and Monroe
    Stopping predatory foreclosures by the WPCA. NO WPCA in Monroe, and no chage in Trumbull;s WPCA operations
    Protecting kids from big tobacco, NOT for kids in Trumbull and Monroe.

    STOP LYING Mr. Brown…you didn’t fight for or win anything for us. Most of D22 is NOT in Bridgeport.

    Brown is NOT the change we need, Briwn is the change Testa/Ganim want. WE don’t want our State Senator controlled by the Bridgeport Machine,

    Reelect Senator Marilyn Moore

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