Comeback Kid Ganim Wins Democratic Primary, Finch Vows General Election Run

Former Mayor Joe Ganim on Wednesday bolstered his quest for redemption shocking Mayor Bill Finch in a tight Democratic primary by roughly 400 votes, according to unofficial returns. Ganim received 6,264 votes to Finch’s 5,859, according to unofficial returns including absentee ballots. Mary-Jane Foster finished a distant third with 1,177. Get ready for the November general election.

Hundreds cheered Ganim at a victory party at Testo’s Restaurant owned by Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa who popped a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the win. Testa supported Ganim’s efforts in the remaining weeks of the primary after years of a scratchy relationship with Finch.

Ganim and Testa both said the party is a big tent and welcomed everyone in. “As we stand together today, I have to reach out and say to so many here: thank you, thank you!” Ganim said.

Following a somber mood, at 10 p.m. Finch emerged to chants of four more years and “save our city” on the stage of the Bijou Theatre as he prepares for a November battle against party nominee Ganim. Finch presumably has a ballot spot in November on the newly created Job Creation Party advanced by Black Rock used-car salesman Rich DeParle as a placeholder for Finch if he lost the primary. Ganim vowed to challenge the legality of Finch’s third-party bid, according to the CT Post.

Flanked by supporters and family members, Finch emphasized governing for the long run. He said his son told him “don’t stop daddy, don’t stop,” to cheers from the crowd. He recited a list of accomplishments asserting he will take his case to Democrats, independents and Republicans. “Bridgeport is moving forward and to the future … we will take our city home for generations to come.” Finch hammered Ganim on stage asserting progress could not have been made with a corrupt administration. But several Finch supporters in the room quietly suggested Finch’s negative campaign tone against Ganim had backfired, including an inflammatory mailer accusing Ganim of working for a white supremacist in 2010. Ganim at the time was a legal assistant for a law firm that provided representation of the defendant facing weapons charges.

This was a night, however, for Ganim and supporters to savor the moment in his comeback following his conviction on corruption charges in 2003 and withstanding strident attacks from the Finch campaign. Ganim ran stronger in some neighborhoods than expected, such as Winthrop School in the heart of the North End. He carried the precinct hammering home a tax message there. Ganim ran up pluralities in the African American-rich East End while also performing well in the diverse Hooker School precinct in the Upper East Side.

To many outside observers, the thought of a former mayor who spent seven years in prison for public corruption running a competitive race against an eight-year incumbent is jaw-dropping. But Ganim connected with many inner city voters largely on a second-chance message, while highlighting public safety and taxes and quality of life issues.

He campaigned relentlessly across the city complemented by an army of volunteers.

Ganim returned from prison in 2010 working as a paralegal in his father’s family-run law practice while making an application to regain his law license stripped following his conviction in 2003. A three-judge panel rejected Ganim’s rationale for regaining his license, ruling he had shown no contrition in the face of overwhelming evidence he had violated the public trust. The lower court’s decision was upheld unanimously by the Connecticut Supreme Court.

The ruling had stunted Ganim’s economic earning potential. Without a law license, who’d pay him an annual salary package plus benefits of $150,000 that comes with being mayor of Connecticut’s largest city? Ganim examined his options. Yes, redemption was part of the comeback plan but so too were finances with alimony and child support payments to make.

Ganim weighed the political landscape. He felt Finch was vulnerable enough on bread and butter issues such as taxes and crime to attempt a comeback.

Ganim started his comeback informally on January 1, in the East End church of supporter State Rep. Charlie Stallworth who serves as pastor. He made his first public disclosure he had violated the public trust after 14 years of denying he had done anything wrong.

Political operatives had urged Ganim to show contrition if he had any chance for a comeback. Many people who have experienced trouble–or know someone who has–they argued will respond to a comeback story.

Ganim stitched together factions of the party that experienced a falling-out with Finch with a declaration of a city that works for everyone. Highlighting 10 straight years of no tax increase while he was mayor, Ganim formed an exploratory committee in the spring testing his fundraising strength at Vazzy’s in Stratford. More than 300 attended amassing an early warchest of $50,000 that surprised even Ganim.

Ganim then formed a full-blown candidate committee devoting most of his attention to raising money and schmoozing the 90-member Democratic Town Committee that decides the party endorsement for mayor. Ganim was like a Chihuahua nipping at Finch’s heels, picking off enough town committee members to reach his goal of 45 votes that would grant him the convention endorsement, a tie broken on the promise of Town Chairman Mario Testa who had testy relationship with Finch whom he says paid him no respect as the town chair.

The mayor, however, controls the candy store, and on the weekend before the convention vote, was able to reel in enough votes to secure a hotly contested endorsement.

The fact Ganim came even that close to the endorsement marveled some political observers. The next day Ganim and supporters set out to petition his name onto the ballot receiving more than enough of the 1900 or so signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The race was on and Ganim campaigned relentlessly, raising money, hitting events, knocking on doors, attending family barbecues. He touted support from the police union and even the federal agent Ed Adams, now a private investigator, who had probed his administration.

Primary results, unofficial returns, partial machine counts:

Hooker, Ganim 435, Finch 307, Foster 64

JFK, Ganim 377, Finch 307, Foster 38

Central 132, Finch 274, Ganim 218, Foster 90

Central 133, Ganim 201, Finch 176, Foster 90

Dunbar, Ganim 463, Finch 254

Winthrop, Ganim 398, Finch 363, Foster 101

Harding, Ganim 272, Finch 232

Black Rock, Finch 354, Ganim 182, Foster 218