Competitive, according to political operatives in both camps as well as examining anecdotal information from neighborhoods. Could that change? Of course. Primaries are daffy ducks. Now is the time serial primary voters come into focus.
The campaign operations of Mayor Joe Ganim and State Senator Marilyn Moore are now in full throttle spending money, knocking doors, directing mail, wooing absentee ballot voters, pushing social media message, kicking out policy and position statements in advance of the September 10 primary.
About 47,000 registered Democrats are eligible to vote.
Republicans will also host a mayoral primary September 10 between party-endorsed John Rodriguez, Ethan Book and Dishon Francis for the right to face the Democratic winner in the general election. Win or lose the Democratic primary, Moore will also have a spot on the Connecticut Working Families party line in November.
While the main event is between Ganim and Moore, Dems will also decide primaries for city clerk, town clerk, school board, city sheriffs and some City Council districts.
Moore’s strength encompasses her State Senate base covering Black Rock, West Side and North End. Ganim is expected to run stronger in the rest of the city. Absentee ballots, where Ganim has an advantage by virtue of his establishment organizational support, could be a factor in deciding the primary.
Campaign finance reports will be filed with the Town Clerk’s Office September 3rd covering candidate fundraising for July and August.
Not sure where you vote? See here.
Reminder, Republican and Democratic electors who had voted at Madison School the past few years will return to vote at Central High School for the September 10 primary and then for all eligible district voters for the November 5th general election. Voting had taken place at Madison while Central was under renovations.
This impacts voters on the West Side 132nd District and North End 133rd District.
What I’ve seen especially on ganims Facebook is alot of people saying in the comments they will not vote for him this time around. If this is a trend shared by ganim 2015 voters as much as you see on Facebook he might lose this race by a pretty big margin. My mother for one voted for ganim in 2015 saying everybody deserves a second chance and she is not voting for him this time as well. Seems like this is a big trend amongst alot osbhis 2015 voters. Dont be surprised if Moore wins this by a comfortable margin.
Has any internal polling or public polling been done?
If just 13,000 people come out to vote in the primary, we will have a New Mayor!
Joe Ganim…………..6240……………..48%
Marilyn Moore …….6760……………52%
Bridgeport Democratic primary mayoral election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Joseph P. Ganim 6,264 47.10%
Democratic Bill Finch 5,859 44.05%
Democratic Mary-Jane Foster 1,177 8.85%
foster 1,177 was a game changer i regret voting for her as i would have voted for finch over ganim anyday did not expect foster to not run competitive
Last Friday I received in the mail a 45 page magazine in color from “FaithActs for Education,” the magazine is title BRIDGEPORT VOTER GUIDE, 2019 Primary Election. It’s a voter guide for Bridgeport’s Primary Election on Tuesday, September 10. Enclosed is a sample ballot that is exactly what my ballot will look like in September. The voter guide states in 2019, Bridgeport voters will elect a Mayor, City Clerk, Town Clerk, Board Of Education, City Sheriff, and City Council. Candidates’ view are presented for informational purposes only. Candidates who declined to respond are noted. Every candidate running for every position in both Democrats and Republican picture in color except one in the primary are shown. Everything a voter needs to know is listed, phone numbers, where to vote, their Party, if they have a website, their occupation and previous elected office f any, under each candidate information there is a section to write your own notes. This voter guide is the best voter guide that I have ever seen, I wish that every voters in America could have a voter guide like this one. Jamilah Prince-Stewart, the Executive Director of FaithActs did a excellent job in providing this service to the voters for free because FaithActs for Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Bridgeport and FaithActs for Education DOES NOT ENDORSE any candidate.
Thanks
Did Ganim reply? If he did he’s got really big ones.
And if Faith acts knows what is happening in this city and it’s public schools (and it really doesn’t sound like they do) they could never endorse Ganim.
Ganim? Can him! Know Moore.
Bob, FaithActs makes NO ENDORSEMENTS.
They should NOT endorse him based on the fact that he has done LESS than nothing for Education.
Donj, your mother like a lot of our people and Latinos were taken in by Mayor Ganim’s second chance BS. While I advocate for second chances I would not give a bank robber a second chance as a bank teller. I wouldn’t give a person that abused and sold oxycontin a second chance as a pharmacist. I wouldn’t give a recovering alcoholic a second chance as a bartender.
Bridgeport gave Mayor Ganim a second chance in the same venue that he was found guilty and for violating the public trust. He deserved a second chance, but not as the Mayor of Bridgeport where he stole and sold the office of the Mayor of Bridgeport to the highest bidder. Bridgeport deserved better than an ex-con as it’s Mayor and the residents of Bridgeport have a chance to right that wrong for the betterment of the city and its residents.
All Little Joe Ganim has accomplished was attracting a high end restaurant for the swells that contribute to his campaign coffers. BFD, and I do not mean Bridgeport Fire Department. If he asked “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” the resounding anvil chorus would be “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!!”
I would like to give Governor Joe a second chance, as a paralegal !
That’s why he needs to be mayor because he can’t be a lawyer anymore because he’s lair and the only legal work he can do I’d to be a paralegal because he can’t get his law license back. In fact that alone should be enough not to vote for Joe Ganim.
I’d like the Department Of Justice to give Joe Ganim a second chance at living in a prison cell.
Forget all of that. He has done nothing. And if you vote for him he will do Moore of the same.
This will be a record-low turnout. Voters are absolutely disenchanted with the state of city. Voters are even more disenchanted with its prospects, given the condition of the state, the agenda of the Greenwich guy in Hartford, and especially with the demonstrated inability of the two Democratic candidates to create and execute an appropriate economic-development agenda for Bridgeport (the latter being the sine qua none for a Bridgeport revival — or even survival…).
Ganim’s agenda is a non-descript, non-plan that would seem to have no needs-based goals, with respect to jobs and tax-base growth. And economic-development “progress” under G2 is really just creatively-presented accounting-gimmick fiction (e.g., the new fossil-fuel power plant represents a temporary tax-base bump that will be leveled with the dismantling of the coal-fired behemoth…).
Moore’s economic-development non-plan is just a recital of ineffectual, policy best-practices that could have been taken directly off of any Republican candidate’s website platform description. Again, there has apparently been no research done, in this regard, on Bridgeport’s actual tax-base and jobs needs, pursuant to any real economic-development goals, let alone any research on how to create anything real in regard to such indicated goals…
A non-plan presented as a neatly-packaged, substance-less, cliché-piece, in Moore’s case. In Ganim’s case, no presentation of a plan at all — just a recital of casino-contingent, paper projects that are very unlikely to happen under any Gold Coast regime in Hartford, along with accounting-gimmick, tax-base-increase claims… Neither Democratic candidate has a clue about how to drive Bridgeport in the right direction –or even what the right direction might be, with respect to economic development… (Ditto for the Republicans…)
This will definitely be a record low-turnout, primary election in Bridgeport. Perhaps 12% of voters will be represented at the polls, with another 3% by absentees.
Results: D’s — Ganim 60% (about 4,200 votes); Moore 40% (about 2,800 votes)
Results R’s — Book 45% (about 270 votes); Rodriguez 40% (about 240 votes); Francis 15% (about 90 votes)
Bridgeporters aren’t happy with the state of their city or their citywide/district candidates.
Bridgeporters will votes with their seats on Tuesday, September 10, staying home in droves, with only a trickle of half-hearted voters bothering to hold their noses and register a choice at the polls…
Even Barnum couldn’t sell tickets to this one…
Twenty-Five Cents to the Egress! Nice analysis Jeff.
Jeff,
I have missed your writing for some time now, but OIB rolls on despite any one’s absence. And Kelly, well he’s batting for Steve A, fielding for Joel G (who is getting a specially made glove) and Robert T who has already left for spring training. BAM!!
I take exception to your closing where you acknowledge Barnum’s marketing ability. You may not believe this but I think that the Bridgeport public, of all diverse colors, will likely attend and pay to see Reverend Mary Lee-McBride square off on level ground (not a descending elevator with religious women of color) at a forum with Marilyn Moore, to discuss, debate, and/or defend a “proposition” such as reported in the CT Post as “she’s not black enough”!!!
Isn’t it about time for biological racism or ethnic racism or structural racism to be taken out of “a secret dark closet” and confronted with 21st Century truth and realism?? Whatever Council Woman writes or says in the future, will likely not stand up to this “quote”, assuming that it is accurate. Did she really mean what she said? Can she back it up with some unconflicted and objective testimony from that community, or is she a single voice, wandering in the wilderness, having come across a famous bridge many years ago, but nevertheless wandering?? Imagine trying to explain that at a DTC meeting? Who does not take exception? Time will tell.
Since Jeff has all the answers I say that Jeff becomes Mayor! No need to vote we’ll do this by acclamation.
Don, Jeff is so what like David Walker, a specialist in his field but do good as in electoral politics. Jeff is more of a social planner who doesn’t care for the gold coast cities and towns. Jeff is second to JML in the number of words for their written position in which I kind of agree with a lot of times.
So, maybe you do get it Donald! Thanks for the acknowledgement!
John; I think that as offensive and inappropriate (I’m sure the word “infuriating” could even be used) that the outrageous, “not black enough” comment concerning Senator Moore is to Senator Moore and those of us that want to see a colorblind society in our country, and the world — especially black people/people of color — I just don’t think that such comment trumps the hopelessness, disgust, and related inertia of the voting-eligible people of Bridgeport.
I believe that, unfortunately, Bridgeport’s moribund economy and very overcast future will simply provide enough weight to counterbalance the anger of the people — great as it should be — and maintain them stationary, in non-voting mode, on Election Day…
Only real, believable hope — or tremendous fear — will get the voting public out on Election Day. The Bridgeport public hasn’t been given great hope by the offerings of this election season, and they are numb to fear, as they live with daily violence and economic uncertainty on a constant basis — and have been for too many year…
Sorry: I just don’t see number of Bridgeport’s streaming to the polls this election season in Bridgeport… (Maybe for the 2020 Election… Hopefully…)