Ayala’s Intriguing Strategy For Winning Senate Primary–Ed Who?–We’re Running Against Newton

The names of three Democratic candidates will appear on the ballot for the Aug. 14 State Senate primary; Ernie Newton, (State Rep.) Andres Ayala and some guy named Ed Gomes, the incumbent since 2005. Funny thing about it, you’d never even know Gomes was in the race according to the Ayala camp. Why? Andres Ayala is running against Newton.

Newton, the former state senator seeking a comeback following corruption charges that drove him from office, is the lightning rod in this race. The Ayala camp strategy includes framing the candidate as the antidote to Newton, the endorsed Democrat, with all that baggage. Political races, like boxing matches, are styles in contrast. The Ayala campaign is packaging its candidate as the respected legislator with the relationships to get things done against a guy not welcomed back in Hartford. Is the strategy working? Campaign operatives for Ayala say it’s working.

City voters and campaign operatives from all three camps confirm that when a voter asks Ayala who he’s facing the answer is Newton. Not Gomes. Why mention Gomes when the contrast works best against Newton? In politics, sometimes less is more.

At debates, campaign events and door knocking Ayala’s urging Democrats to support him based on his strong relationships with Hartford legislative leaders and Governor Dannel Malloy. The legislature is all about relationship building, Ayala contends, and it’s those relationships that gets things done. He then rattles off examples such as legislative support for the Steel Point redevelopment area that falls within his State House district featuring the anchor tenant Bass Pro Shops and money he secured to help further a second train station in the city slated for the East Side. Ayala wasn’t just a supporter of Malloy for governor in 2010, he was an early supporter when many from the city’s political establishment supported Malloy’s primary opponent Ned Lamont. This provides added credibility to his argument: the governor doesn’t forget his friends.

Ayala has stitched together a coalition of supporters that include operatives for Mayor Bill Finch who’s supporting him while bringing a legislative base from the heavily Latino East Side. If elected he’ll be the city’s first Latino State Senator. Latino voter performance is among the lowest of city demographic groups, but Ayala operatives say it’s a constituency that will back him heavily while he appeals to the new voters, many of them white, that were carved into the Senate turf as a result of state-required redistricting, in precincts such as Hooker and Beardsley Schools.

Ayala, the youngest of the three candidates at 43, spent years as a classroom teacher in the city’s public school system before his transfer this year as an administrator working under former Mayor John Fabrizi in the city’s Adult Education program. Ayala served as City Council president during Fabrizi’s years as mayor.

The Ayala campaign that includes veteran absentee ballot operatives City Councilwoman Lydia Martinez and former State Rep. Americo Santiago wants to bank at least 400 votes via AB. That would be a mighty sum to start. They’re counting on a blowout win at Marin School, Ayala’s home legislative turf with about 4000 registered Dems to provide a nice boost. They’ve identified several other Latino precincts in the West End, East Side and the Hollow to provide more likely Ayala voters.

The way Ayala operatives see it they will win this primary, barring a turnout breakdown, with about 40 percent of the vote in a three-way race. That leaves Newton and Gomes to split the other 60 percent.

With one week left they will hammer home the message: your choice is Ayala or Newton.

(Up next: Gomes’ strategy.)