A Democratic legislator and a former Republican lawmaker took steps toward a run for Connecticut attorney general Tuesday, one day after George Jepsen’s surprise announcement he would not seek a third term in 2018. Both contenders appeared to meet the unique residency and professional standards defined by the Supreme Court in 2010. Others, if they are diligent, will do some research before making a move.
2018 campaign
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A November surprise: Jepsen won’t seek a third term as AG
Attorney General George Jepsen stunned fellow Democrats on Monday by announcing he will not seek a third term in 2018, inviting a scramble for what may be the most attractive state office in Connecticut politics right now. And no, he is not getting into the race for governor.
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The political temptations of an ambitious mayor, Luke Bronin
The great political seducers, ambition and opportunity, are double-teaming Hartford’s first-term mayor, Luke Bronin, tempting him with a weak field in an open race for governor. But do they speak louder than the promise he made two years ago to serve a full term if voters entrusted him with the job of stabilizing Connecticut’s struggling capital?
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Nancy Wyman says she won’t run for governor in 2018
Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said Thursday she will not run for governor in 2018, ending months of personal contemplation and political calculation. Her decision deprives the Democratic Party of its highest-profile contender, while sparing it from a campaign that could have struggled to emerge from the shadow of an unpopular incumbent, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
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Looking at 2018, Democrats take limited solace in Trump backlash
Connecticut Democrats are approaching the pivotal election year of 2018 with distinct advantages in money, organization, voter registration and a base energized in large measure by the election of Donald J. Trump, as was demonstrated last week in municipal elections. Beneath those advantages runs a deep current of dissatisfaction with the state’s Democratic governor, Dannel P. Malloy, and its General Assembly.
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Geoff Luxenberg out as Dan Drew tries to refocus campaign
Middletown Mayor Dan Drew tried to reboot his beleaguered campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination Wednesday, abruptly parting ways with Geoff Luxenberg, the political strategist he put on the city payroll as his chief of staff in August.
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Connolly to leave vets’ post, possibly to run for governor
Sean Connolly, who has been talking to fellow Democrats about running for governor in 2018, is stepping down Wednesday as the state commissioner of veterans affairs, the governor’s office announced Friday.
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Drew apologizes, promises campaign refunds to city employees
In an early stumble in his campaign for governor, Middletown Mayor Dan Drew admitted “an error in judgment” Thursday and apologized to city employees for obtaining a mailing list from the city that his campaign used to solicit contributions.
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Bhargava pitches herself as pro-business, progressive Democrat
Dita Bhargava began Tuesday to explore whether there is a place in the wide-open race for governor of Connecticut in 2018 for a Democratic woman who is a feminist and an ethnic minority with a Canadian upbringing, a Wall Street pedigree, a Greenwich address and pro-business inclinations.
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Drew, Linehan tack left in opening joint campaign
CHESHIRE — Dan Drew and Liz Linehan repudiated the approach of fellow Democrat Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to taxes, labor issues and economic development Wednesday as they introduced themselves as a team seeking the Democratic nominations for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.
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Merrill is first constitutional officer to declare for re-election
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill ended retirement speculation Friday by declaring her candidacy for re-election to a third term in an office that makes her Connecticut’s chief elections official.
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Senate GOP leader Fasano will not run for governor in ’18
Senate Republican leader Len Fasano of North Haven said Wednesday he will not join the crowded field of Republicans in the open race for governor in 2018, simplifying life at the State Capitol should the House GOP leader, Themis Klarides, decide to run.
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GOP quick to define a reticent Wyman as Malloy’s ‘enabler’
Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman passed on trying to spin reporters Monday night after her tie-breaking vote in the Senate to ratify a state-employees concessions deal that Republicans are certain to exploit as a wedge issue in the 2018 campaigns for governor and General Assembly. The GOP was quick to tag her as “Dan Malloy’s chief enabler,” a taste of what Wyman can expect if she runs.
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GOP congressional candidates willing to swim against political tide
Congressional candidates in Connecticut are bracing for next year’s mid-term elections, which could shift power in the U.S. House and Senate and serve as a referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency. Former State Rep. Dan Carter, 49, who lost a challenge last year to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, is among those testing the waters for a run against Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty.
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Scanlon weighing a run for comptroller
Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, whose path to a Connecticut Senate seat was foreclosed by the decision of state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. , D-Branford, to run for re-election instead of governor, is considering a campaign for the statewide office of comptroller now held by Kevin P. Lembo.