Dan Malloy
Dem. Gubernatorial Nominee
Photo by Steve Kotchko
Posted 8/16/10
The gubernatorial primaries are over and the final matchup for the fall campaign is set. It’s Democrat Dan Malloy vs. Republican Tom Foley, and neither man wasted any time launching into the general election battle.
Malloy called reporters to his Hartford campaign headquarters just 14 hours after he’d secured the Democratic nomination by beating challenger Ned Lamont, the wealthy Greenwich businessman who’d led in the polls for the entire race. Ironically, the primary result defied all polls, with Malloy topping Lamont by 16 points.
Why did he win big? Malloy replied: “I think we had a good disciplined campaign. I think we knew what we were doing. We knew that we would be outgunned (financially). We marshaled our resources so we could maximize our attributes.”
Many sources suggest Malloy benefited in the low voter turnout atmosphere of primary day from the support he had among state employee unions. Unions have a strong record of turning out their members and allies for candidates they back. Indeed, on primary night, the state employee union CSEA/SEUI Local 2001 crowed that it had helped Malloy to victory. “After making thousands of phone calls and mailing out thousands of leaflets, the Union’s active and retired public service workers played a decisive role in turning a race too close to call into a solid win,” the union said in an e-mail to reporters.
In contrast to Malloy’s hefty victory margin, Republican Tom Foley squeaked by his key rival Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele by just 3 points. Many Republicans said privately if the primary had gone on for another week, Fedele might have caught and surpassed the wealthy Foley.
Foley, talking to the Hartford Courant, the day after the primary, said Connecticut voters “are better informed than” to listen to “that kind of class-warfare stuff” and “pitting people against each other.”
Judging by all those comments, it didn’t take long for either nominee to say to their opposite, in essence: “Bring it!”
Malloy claims his drive to election will focus on stressing “the values, the experience, and the message that will resonate with the people of Connecticut.” Foley said the voters remain very concerned about jobs, the weak economy, the deficit, and high taxes, and he will bring his experience as a business exec to those issues.
Anyone who turned on the TV set or listened to the radio in the final weeks of primary season knows the airwaves were filled with negative ads from all sides. Foley said he wanted to meet with Malloy seeking some sort of truce to prevent a new run of attack ads in the general election battle. Asked if he’d go along, Malloy replied: “Sure, absolutely, why wouldn’t I?” However, only time will tell if election pressures push one or both men back to negative ads.
Meanwhile, each candidate already is trying to counter the initial claims made by their rival.
Though Malloy wants voters to think of him as “the common man” vs. the Greenwich millionaire, Foley said of Malloy: “He’s from Fairfield County too, last time I checked.” Malloy served 14 years as the mayor of Stamford, and still resides in that city.
Foley began his campaign for governor by claiming Hartford (i.e. state government) is “broke and broken” and he knows how to fix it. The GOP nominee continually has billed himself as an “outsider” not tied to the special interests or powers-that-be at the State Capitol. Malloy won’t let Foley snatch that distinction.
“We’re both outsiders,” Malloy said. “I’m not a Hartford-based politician, and I’ve never served in the legislature, or the executive branch of the state government.”
Ironically, both candidates may have work harder to prove what they are not, rather than what they represent.
Secretly, many Republicans hoped Lamont would be the Democratic nominee. The reason? Lamont, a liberal and still a relative political novice, might be an easier target than the feisty field-tested Malloy. Also, Lamont is a Greenwich millionaire businessman who self-funded his campaign, just like Foley. If the race was Foley vs. Lamont, all the “rich guy elitist” baggage would disappear.
State employee support that helped Malloy over the top in the primary could work against him in the general election. The always important unaffiliated voters may be turned off if it appears Malloy is now “beholden” to the unions. Private sector workers, who don’t have the pensions, and top-of-the-line health care coverage enjoyed by state employees, may be drawn to Foley—a candidate who believes those deluxe benefits must be curtailed.
And then there is party unity. Primaries may be viewed as beneficial by “good government” types but political veterans knows rough-and-tumble primaries produce hard feelings that can last through Election Day. Defeated primary candidates and their supporters often choose to “sit out” the fall campaigns instead of helping the victors.
Malloy told reporters he and Lamont are in bonding mode. “Ned and I had a nice conversation, our campaigns already are working together on the future of the Democratic party.” However, some Democrats contend Malloy doesn’t forgive and forget easily, and the primary campaign was a bruiser.
The same problem could present itself for Foley. Fedele’s camp must be crestfallen after coming so close to defeating Foley. They will remember Foley’s unsuccessful legal action that attempted to prevent Fedele from getting his public financing grants. And then there’s the sting of never getting an endorsement from Republican Gov. Jodi Rell. After all, Fedele was her 2006 running mate, and lieutenant governor.
Both candidates will have to mend fences quickly, get their financing and TV ad campaigns set, and be prepared for the fall campaign.