Three weeks to the January 23 Democratic mayoral primary redo.
How did we get here? It started more than a year ago when John Gomes announced his candidacy to challenge incumbent Joe Ganim. The Gomes camp out of the gate did a remarkable job raising money to help make his case.
State Senator Marilyn Moore who scared Ganim in 2019 primary also jumped in as well as Lamond Daniels, a former Finch administration official. Gomes caught a huge break with Moore and Daniels coming up signature short to qualify for the September primary.
Conventional wisdom benefits the incumbent in these situations, challengers splitting up the anti vote. Moore and Daniels did not join forces with either candidate. Come primary day it was clear early on that neither candidate, try as they may, inspired Dem electors to the polls, both sides coming up well short of their turnout goals. The vote was anemic.
Both camps worked absentees hard. Gomes had a lead of several hundred with the walk-in vote, but the Ganim absentee operation pumped up his lead to 251 votes.
On primary night Gomes tipped off that he knew something others didn’t when he announced his campaign had been “sabotaged.” Someone inside the police department that monitors surveillance alerted the Gomes campaign that video captured political operatives dropping absentee ballots into the designated drop boxes, created as an outgrowth of Covid.
Influencers for both camps were caught on tape, but when the videos went public the Gomes campaign successfully highlighted to news outlets and in court that the sheer number of drops had placed the outcome into question.
Superior Court Judge William Clark ordered a new primary. Meanwhile the November general election moved forward with Ganim on the Democratic line and Gomes occupying a slot on the Bridgeport Independent Party line. Republican David Herz and Daniels, as a petitioning candidate, filled out the mayoral field. Once again a low turnout and once again Ganim prevailed via absentee ballots.
The holidays brought a bit of a lull to campaigning, both sides weary and money challenged in this extended election cycle but now that they’re over Ganim and Gomes are at it full throttle with three weeks left – head to head, no one else on the ballot – and the possibility of another general election late February.
Long campaign? Messaging conflicted or forgotten? Budgets stretched or expended? What to do?
Why not hold three public gatherings at the Klein, or at the Universities and create a conversation in 2024 about where things will stand in the City if Ganim2 or Gomes1 wins and lives to tell the story four years from now? The rules can be flexible, but conversation about plans, policy, goals, and future acheivements are important to keep in mind. What is you vision? What are your several priorities and ‘why’? What new method of opening up democratic participation in the City are you considering? What are the three critical needs in a review of the City Charter and when will you have a Commission appointed and working? Have any more questions in your mind? Time will tell.
Are you a reader of OIB on a regulat basis and looking for either the status quo to continue or a change of leaders from the Democratic party? Would you attend a meeting to listen to a civil conversation between the two men competing to become the candidate who wins the top line for the February 27th Election Day?
If so, give a thumbs up to the idea in this comment. Let the details follow, or not. Do they really want to share what they have in mind with the voting public? Time will tell.