One week left to primary day in Connecticut. Who has the mo? Two Democrats and five Republicans have seven more days to persuade electors to advance them to the general election. While Mayor Joe Ganim pitches himself as the ordinary guy against rich-guy Democratic front runner Ned Lamont, two seasoned GOP campaigners Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst muddy wealthy self-funders Bob Stefanowski and David Stemerman Republicans in name only.
From Chris Keating, Hartford Courant:
In a multicolored flyer, Herbst depicts Stefanowski and Stemerman as “two peas in a pod”–showing their faces on green peas. He asks, “Who’s the bigger Democrat: Stefanowski or Stemerman?”
Picking up on the same theme, Boughton sent out a mailer that shows the faces of Stemerman and Stefanowski on coins and says they are “changing parties at the flip of a coin.” Stefanowski once contributed to former U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, the one-time general chairman of the national Democratic Party, while Stemerman once contributed $2,300 to then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.
“Now they’re trying to hijack the Republican Party,” Boughton writes. “By actively supporting Democrats and their liberal causes for years, they have disrespected every Republican in Connecticut.”
Full story here.
Stefanowski and Stemerman are resonating in Republican polls from the sheer millions they’ve spent bolstering name recognition. Primaries, however, are all about identifying friends and dragging them to the polls. Do they have field operations to cross the finish line?
Ganim being Ganim, he’s wealth-contrasted titillating moments on the campaign trail counting Lamont’s voluminous bathrooms and parsing the price of a gallon of milk. Ganim’s chutzpah has leveraged his second-chance message to the amazement of some and bemusement of others with urban areas as ground zero for turnout. He hasn’t married that message to what he’ll do as governor. Most electors vote on the future and Ganim’s offered few proposals about where he’ll take the state as governor. He’s also money challenged against party-endorsed Lamont who can write a campaign check without worry. For the most part Lamont has smartly stayed away from lancing Ganim’s past. He’ll need those second-chance voters in the general election.
A primary win for Lamont becomes disquieting if Ganim performs well in urban areas. It means Lamont cannot ignore Ganim’s resonance in cities. If enough urban voters don’t turn out for the Democratic standard bearer, it could tip the race to the Republican appealing to a large bloc of unaffiliated voters.
Complete list of August 14 candidates on ballot for Bridgeport voters:
The first candidate listed is party endorsed.
Democrats
Governor
Ned Lamont
Joe Ganim
Lieutenant Governor
Susan Bysiewicz
Eva Bermudez Zimmerman
State Senator 23rd District
Dennis Bradley
Aaron Turner
State Rep. 126th District
Shante Hanks
Charlie Stallworth
Treasurer
Shawn Wooden
Dita Bhargava
Attorney General
William Tong
Paul Doyle
Chris Mattei
Republicans
Governor
Mark Boughton
Timothy Herbst
Steve Obsitnik
Bob Stefanowski
David Stemerman
Lieutenant Governor
Joe Markley
Jayme Stevenson
Erin Stewart
U.S. Senator
Matthew Cory
Dominic Rapini
State Senator 23rd District
John Rodriguez
Casimir “Caz” Mizera
State Rep 128th District
Luis Colon
Ethan Book
Treasurer
Thad Gray
Art Linares
Comptroller
Kurt Miller
Mark Greenberg
Attorney General
Sue Hatfield
John Shaban
Mudslide.
The kind of logic that turned weekly churchgoers into reluctant casino advocates is the same logic that should persuade Democratic voters to select Joe Ganim.
If it happened once, it can happen again.
Why are churchgoers reluctant? The question is not if CT should expand gaming, it’s where? Local Eyes I see you are not supporting in of a Bridgeport casino, or churchgoers for that matter. The mud slinging seems to come from every direction.
Lamont’s business success has never translated into political victories.
Yet Ganim’s petition drive makes victory a recent memory.
Advantage: Ganim.
If Joe kept his word on holding the line on Taxes, not short changing the BBoE, then blaming Bill Finch for a bogus $ 20 Million short fall.
Handing the Taxpayers a 29% Mil rate the good People of Bridgeport would come out in great numbers to support him for Governor, but now he’ll be lucky to be re-elected as Mayor!
Making luck.
Governor Ganim will only be concerned about he new mayor in 2019.
*** Republicans enjoy slinging mud, no? *** It works out better than telling or recognizing the truth at times! ***
Avoiding the truth is part of politics.
We’re all political mudslingers and OIB is the canvas upon which we sling!
What is mud but a mixture of liquid and solids, more commonly called water, and dirt, unless you live in the suburbs where it is termed soil. If the mix loses too much water, you can compact it into a ball, as it will hold together and when thrown airborne, inflict a solid THWOCK to a target. If there is too little dirt, the mixture splatters. Birds like it. Worms love it, and even piglets near a sow groove it…..let’s do it, let’s just play in mud!!..that’s another subject, I guess.
Waiting for the GREAT ONE to put last night’s address to the Council on OIB. It is timely because of tonight’s Public Safety meeting at 6 PM.
I am personally concerned with the due diligence put into research and reporting by the City Police Department when covering nominations or re-nominations for appointments to Boards and Commissions.
Earlier this year I revealed elements of a story about our current Civil Service chair who has performed “magic” in Bridgeport for too many years while residing and voting in Trumbull. Does the Mayor care? Evidently not as long as she carries out his wishes. A check on her behavior would be her signing the Residency Form at Town Clerk office but she has not done that either. Has she perjured herself anywhere in the system of affirming her name, residence address and voting right? Did the Police Department miss this one, Chief? Where does enforcement work?
What are a couple errors among friends, Lennie, if you live out of town, right? Time will tell.
The annual residency filing requirement was established by ordinance.
The city council is responsible for oversight of and adherence to ordinances.
Appears that the city council is not performing their job and JML is doing it for them?
We put some new people on the council but it seems they are as useless as the returning council people.Where are they on the following matters:
1.High appointed city official is or was having a fling with a young black city worker. Does anyone know or think about the position the city has been placed in.
City attorney creates 3 new part time jobs to the table of organization. Who approved these position that are costing us over 300K not counting pensions.
Who is taking the police chief to task for his recent screw ups. He seems to have forgotten what his job is. Chief in case you are reading this you dont let a cop back on duty when he is on trial for assault.
To the council why are we paying a former police chief $6,000 per month and a former FBI agent $6,000
why are we paying angel depara to fill boards and commissions and its not being done.
Get off your asses and ddo your jobs