The Quest For Campaign Hancocks, Boughton-Lauretti Hiring Petition Circulators At $2 Per Valid Signature

Who was out this Memorial Day weekend hustling signatures to get on the ballot? A whole bunch of candidates for state offices.

State Representative Christina Ayala must secure more than 300 signatures from registered Democrats to wage a battle to keep her seat. Chris Rosario, the city’s anti-blight chief backed by Mayor Bill Finch’s political operation, won the endorsement for the 128th State Assembly seat last week. City Fire Commissioner Dennis Bradley and Teresa Davidson also picked up petition sheets from elections officials for the district that primarily covers the East Side and Hollow neighborhoods. So a four-way primary on August 12 is possible.

Challengers must submit signature sheets by June 10.

On the statewide front, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, in an alliance with candidate for governor Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, is trying to make the ballot as a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Boughton’s supposed running mate Heather Bond Somers threw Boughton under the bus to pool her money with his to qualify for $1.3 million for his August 12 primary bid against Republican-endorsed Tom Foley. Enter Lauretti who must collect 8190 certified signatures of Republican voters in the next two weeks to make the ballot. Then the Boughton-Lauretti team hopes to raise enough cash to put Boughton over the top for the public dough. Under the state’s public financing rules, gubernatorial candidates must raise $250,000 in donations between $5 and $100 to qualify for public money.

The Boughton-Lauretti team is hiring petition circulators at $2 per valid signature plus bonuses and incentives. You must be a registered Republican in the state to collects sigs.

Bridgeport resident David Walker, the former U.S. Comptroller General, has partnered with gubernatorial candidate State Senator John McKinney for the August 12 primary.