State Capitol
Frosty to Legislative Leaders?
Photo by Steve Kotchko
Posted 2/16/10
It seems logical that a state lawmaker who has made his or her way to a legislative leadership post would be a great candidate for governor. Coming up through the ranks allows such an individual to learn how state government works. Depending on one’s interests a lawmaker can get on committees dealing with the budget, taxes, public safety, public health, the environment, social services, and other issues. Once lawmakers make it to a top leadership post they’ve seemingly acquired all the savvy needed to move up the ladder and run for governor.
Ironically, some have tried but it’s hard to find an incumbent legislative leader such as Speaker of the House of President Pro Tempore of the Senate who’s managed to get elected governor. In 1994, when then Senate President Pro Tempore John Larson secured the Democratic Party’s state convention nomination for governor, I did some research for a magazine article to find another incumbent legislative leader who had won the governorship. I didn’t find one, and I used the classic history book “Connecticut” by Albert Van Dusen to look back all the way to the 19th century for an example without success.
FYI, Larson didn’t make it in 1994 because he lost a Democratic party primary to Bill Curry who was defeated in the general election by Republican John Rowland. In 1998 Larson was elected to Congress.
This year, as of now, even though the governorship is wide open in this November’s election, no incumbent legislative leader has joined the dozen or more candidates seeking the state’s top post.
Former House Speaker James Amann, emphasis on “former” did give it a go, but he dropped out last week. Two Republican bigwigs, House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero (R-Norwalk) and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney thought long and hard about running before both decided against it. None of the other top leaders seem interested in running for governor, though House Majority Leader Denise Merrill (D-Mansfield) is eying the Secretary of the State race.
So despite the intimate knowledge of state government legislative leaders have, Connecticut voters will likely be choosing a governor from a field that includes several millionaire businessmen, mayors, selectmen, and other assorted pols with high ambitions. No offense, but to be honest, we’re not sure some of them could find their way around the State Capitol much less the intricacies of state government and its budgetary process.
Why is it that top legislative leaders can’t make the jump to becoming governor? There are several possible reasons. First and foremost, though legislative leaders are big honchos around the Capitol sought after by lobbyists seeking to block or back legislation, reporters seeking quotes, or administration officials seeking their attention, legislative leaders aren’t well known out from under “the golden dome.”
In recent decades, except for lieutenant governors who’ve moved to the top spot when the governor died, resigned, or went to higher office, Connecticut governors have come from the ranks of Congress. Apparently being a member of Congress, hundreds of miles away in Washington, gives you a higher profile and better qualifications to be Governor than Speaker of the State House.
Legislative leaders often carry a lot of political baggage. If they start talking about running for governor, their motives are questioned every time they make a decision on which bill to advance or kill. Are they taking the action because that’s what right, or because they’re trying to advance their campaign for governor?
Leaders who’ve been around for a while and exercised their clout often find they can’t count on their fellow legislators to help them raise money and woo convention delegates because they are disliked. One past Democratic leader who wanted to be governor gave up his quest without ever entering the race. A colleague explained privately that the leader too often had “acted like a thug” when considering individual legislators bills and could not find enough allies to mount a campaign.
This year’s gubernatorial race doesn’t have a “big dog” right now—someone who most observers point to and say—that’s your winner. That being the case, maybe a legislative leader will decide to jump in—but history won’t be on his or her side.