Today (Tuesday) at 4 p.m. was the deadline for candidates to file their petition sheets with elections officials to qualify for various August 12 primaries.
Board of Education member Andre Baker hopes he has secured enough certified signatures to challenge Democratic-endorsed Ernie Newton for Connecticut’s 124th State House seat occupied by a retiring Don Clemons. If he qualifies for the ballot with signatures from five percent of registered Democrats in the district, Baker says he will then begin to raise $5,000 in small donations to trigger a $27,000 public grant under the state’s Citizens Election Program of publicly funded races. Charles Hare, long-time Newton opponent, has also submitted petition sheets, but does not appear to have enough signatures to qualify.
Chris Rosario, backed by Mayor Bill Finch’s political operation, is the endorsed Democrat for the 128th State House seat occupied by freshman legislator Christina Ayala. She has qualified for the ballot. City fire commissioner Dennis Bradley and newcomer Theresa Davidson also hope to make the ballot.
Democratic primaries for State Senate will also take place August 12. Healthcare professional and political activist Marilyn Moore is challenging three-term incumbent Anthony Musto. City Librarian Scott Hughes will face off against freshman Andres Ayala. Moore and Hughes made the ballot by receiving enough delegate support at their respective party conventions.
On the statewide front, supporters of Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti have been scouring signatures from Republican voters to place his name on the ballot for lieutenant governor in partnership with Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, a candidate for governor. This is a labor-intensive process that requires roughly 8000 certified signatures statewide. Petition sheets must be dropped off at the offices of election officials in the respective towns they were secured.
Simultaneously with trying to make the ballot, Lauretti’s in fundraising overdrive to pool money he raises with funds raised by Boughton to help the Danbury mayor qualify for a $1.4 million public grant to challenge party endorsed Tom Foley and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney. Lauretti failing to make the ballot will gore Boughton qualifying for the public grant.
Bridgeport resident David Walker, the former U.S. Comptroller General, is running on the same line as McKinney.
