Republicans who see political opportunity in Connecticut’s fiscal crisis tried not to gloat Thursday watching the General Assembly’s Democratic majority lurch towards a budget deadlock. Democrats on the Appropriations Committee voted to add $350 million in spending to the governor’s budget proposal, despite facing projected deficits for at least the next three years. House Minority […]

Justice Christine S. Vertefeuille has notified Gov. M. Jodi Rell of her intention to take senior status on the Connecticut Supreme Court, creating a vacancy on the state’s highest court. (UPDATE: Rell has picked Superior Court Judge Dennis G. Eveleigh of Hamden to succeed Vertefeuille.) Vertefeuille, 59, who was appointed to the trial bench by […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell informed legislative leaders today she intends to fill 10 vacant seats on the Superior Court, setting the stage for a rare clash involving all three branches of government. Quoting court officials, some key legislators have asked Rell to refrain from naming the 10 judges, saying the court system cannot afford the […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has nominated Superior Court Judge Dennis G. Eveleigh to the Connecticut Supreme Court, one of 11 judicial nominations the governor announced Wednesday. Eveleigh, 62, of Hamden would succeed Justice Christine S. Vertefeuille, who formally notified Rell two days ago of her intention to take senior status June 1. Vertefeuille’s decision was made public […]

The race for governor intensified Monday as Dannel P. Malloy pitched himself to the Connecticut AFL-CIO as labor’s strongest ally and repeatedly jabbed at Ned Lamont, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination. On Friday, Malloy smiled and shook Lamont’s hand at a televised debate. On Monday, no small talk passed between them, even though […]

It’s spring, when the fancy of nearly every Democratic gubernatorial candidate turns to organized labor. Over the weekend, five Democrats romanced 400 activists from the bargaining coalition that represents 51,000 state employees. State employee union lawyer Dan Livingston, left, introduces Democrat Ned Lamont at a union gubernatorial forum Today, about 200 members of the Connecticut […]

Nothing was going to spoil Linda McMahon’s good mood, not on the sunny day that transformed her from a political curiosity into the Republican frontrunner for U.S. Senate. Not unexpected questions from a reporter about gay rights, which produced a commitment to allow gays to openly serve in the military and an expression of her […]

Picture the lightning round of “Jeopardy.” Substitute Gerry Brooks for Alex Trebek, invite eight contestants, and make sure every category and question involves Connecticut politics. That was the look and feel of a brisk, 60-minute debate between eight Republican candidates for governor Thursday night that focused on jobs, the economy and the state’s fiscal crisis. […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s proposal to raise money by broadening legalized gambling with electronic Keno games in bars, restaurants and convenience stores is overwhelmingly opposed in a new poll, 70 percent to 27 percent. A Quinnipiac University poll released today found opposition to Keno across all demographic groups, a finding likely to give legislators pause […]

Tom Foley, the only candidate airing television commercials, has opened a lead in the Republican race for governor, while Ned Lamont and Dannel P. Malloy top the Democratic field, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. But the two gubernatorial contests remain wide open, with 50 percent of Republican voters and 44 percent of […]

With a public slap delivered on Wall Street, United Technologies Corp. has embarrassed Connecticut and given new force to old grievances about the state’s business environment. Gov. M. Jodi Rell expressed a mix of disappointment and understanding as she publicly commented for the first time Tuesday on complaints by the state’s largest employer to stock […]

Linda McMahon, a political newcomer spending her personal fortune on campaign commercials and mailings, has taken a 10-point lead in the Republican race for U.S. Senate, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal continues to hold wide leads in matchups with each of his three Republican rivals: McMahon, former […]

With a House vote expected later this week, Connecticut voters disapprove of health reforms, 48 percent to 40 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. But the poll found 70 percent believe that Congress should keep trying to pass a health reform bill, with the heaviest support coming from Democrats (88 percent) and […]

A legislative committee Wednesday approved bills that would salvage the state’s endangered public financing system for campaigns with new rules, smaller grants and a greater reliance on private dollars. If approved by the full legislature, the bills also would preserve a ban on contributions by lobbyists and state contractors. Without the legislation, a court ruling […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said that the chairman of United Technologies Corporation told her today that his company is under pressure from the federal government to move its manufacturing from Connecticut to lower-cost states. Rell said she called UTC chairman and chief executive Louis Chenevert about his company’s complaints to Wall Street analysts about the […]