Plan B Strategy – Ganim’s Opponents Play For Working Families Party Endorsement

Mayor Joe Ganim is well positioned for the endorsement when the 90-member Democratic Town Committee meets next month. Opponents must secure more than 2,000 verified signatures of Democratic electors to qualify for a September primary.

Then, there’s Plan B. What if we don’t qualify or want a second bite of the electorate?

State Senator Marilyn Moore had the endorsement four years ago then botched the signature process to qualify for a general election ballot spot on the Connecticut Working Families Party line against Ganim who defeated her in a tight Democratic primary.

Finger pointing followed (who fumbled the ball?), Moore’s camp said this, WFP said that. Moore eventually agreed to pay a $300 fine levied by the State Elections Enforcement Commission in conjunction with her signature foul up.

Always fascinating when lawmakers don’t know election law.

In her last two legislative wins, Moore was not the left-bending WFP standard bearer. Moore, as well as the other Democratic candidates for mayor, John Gomes and Lamond Daniels, say they are all applying for the endorsement. No matter the outcome of an expected Democratic primary for mayor, occupying the WFP spot elevates general election interest beyond the obligatory Republican candidate.

Four years ago, with no other ballot options after losing the primary to Ganim, Moore waged a long-shot write-in campaign. Ganim won handily.

Gomes, considering his six-year run in the Ganim administration and connections to party insiders would appear to be a longshot for the WFP endorsement. That leaves Moore and new guy Daniels who on paper has the progressive stripes and social service background to match the ideology of an organization that has pushed some moderate Democrats left for a shot at the ballot line proffering extra votes.

Do hurt feelings within the WFP still exist? Moore certainly was not their darling after the 2019 signature debacle.

The WFP’s breakthrough win nationally came in Bridgeport when the late Ed Gomes regained his State Senate seat in a 2015 special election running solely on that line. It also enjoys successes locally winning seats on the minority-party required Board of Education, besting Republican candidates.

It has not, however, been regularly active in municipal contests outside the school board.

Gomes and Daniels have so far waged credible campaigns against Ganim who is leveraging power of incumbency and a mighty war chest for another four-year term.

Moore has been the least visible ceding her lagging campaign to the community group Bridgeport Generation Now, the conflicted administers of morality, that raises money on a non-partisan claim then directs the loot to work for, or against, candidates. So much for non-partisanship.

One of its founders Gemeem Davis ran Moore’s campaign for mayor four years ago. Its leadership wants to control City Hall.

WFP brings something to the table if dominions feels worthy of investing money and workers into a viable campaign. It’s also lefty dogmatic. What candidate checks the boxes of the things we care about?

Do we swallow hard and stay with Moore, or segue to new guy Daniels?

Or, if no one impresses, stay out of it?