Can McIntosh Give Gomes A New Bite?

One week after Marilyn Moore vacated the campaign manager’s slot, Democratic mayoral candidate John Gomes has hired a new gun. Lachlan McIntosh, a veteran campaign operative, will try to apply what he’s learned in southern-state elections to Connecticut’s largest city.

McIntosh’s engagement follows Gomes’ hiring of  Washington, D.C. Democratic political consultant Kenneth Christensen for fundraising. Christensen associate Cole Haymond is directing Gomes’ social media organizing. Haymond is the son of of high-profile personal-injury lawyer John Haymond who has an office in Bridgeport.

There is an interesting dichotomy to Gomes’ shift in campaign managers. Moore is an African-American woman, McIntosh a southern-white male. Does any of this really matter? Depends on what the campaign communicates to voters. Gomes, the city’s former deputy chief administrative officer, is money and message challenged. He has yet to resonate in OIB poles. Can that change? Yes, with money and a message. That’s why he’s hired these guys: to help raise money and drive home a message.

Moore, a former State Senate candidate with deep roots in the city, left the Gomes campaign after just a few weeks over conflicts involving role and campaign finances.

Who’s Lachlan McIntosh? A link to his Facebook profile–here. He has one thing in common with Mayor Bill Finch. One of his favorite books, To Kill A Mocking Bird, the Harper Lee classic, features lawyer Atticus Finch. Finch named his third-born son Atticus.