Say what you like about the endorsement race we're suddenly seeing between DeStefano and Malloy; it does show us that the Malloy candidacy isn't going to go away, and that Democrats are far from united behind any candidate.
Malloy's list of endorsements, released today, has a few high-profile names in it, including former party chair, Senate Majority Leader and Lt. Gov. candidate George Jepsen, Wesport First Selectwoman and congressional candidate Diane Farrell, and two former Speakers of the House: Moira Lyons and Richard Balducci (who is, although the release doesn't note it, from my hometown of Newington).
A lot of the people on the list are old-guard Democrats. Many are from Fairfield County, although a significant percentage are not. Here's the full list, from the Malloy campaign's press release:
Malloy Endorsements, Listed Alphabetically
Martha Aasen, Town Chair (Westport)
Carl Anderson, Town Chair (Voluntown)
Richard Balducci, Former Speaker of the House
Neil Beup, Town Chair (Burlington)
Nancy Brouillet, Town Chair (Lebanon)
Ellen Camhi, Town Chair (Stamford), Democratic National Committeewoman
Eileen Daily, Senator (Westbrook)
Steve Dargan, State Representative (West Haven)
John Davis, Town Chair (Darien)
Richard Duda, Town Chair (Griswold)
Bob Duff, Senator (Norwalk)
Diane Farrell, First Selectwoman and Congressional Candidate (Westport)
Gerry Fox, State Representative (Stamford)
Tom Gaffey, Senator (Meriden)
George Jepsen, Former Senate Majority Leader, Former State Democratic Party Chairman
Braith Kelly, Town Chair (Canterbury)
Matt Kelly, Town Chair (Barkhamsted)
Alex Knopp, Mayor (Norwalk)
Mike Lawlor, State Representative (East Haven)
Carlo Leone, State Representative (Stamford)
Moira Lyons, Former Speaker of the House
Joe Mann, State Representative (Norwalk)
Andrew McDonald, Senator (Stamford)
Chris Perone, State Representative (Norwalk)
Joe Serra, State Representative (Middletown)
Jim Shapiro, State Representative (Stamford)
Galen Wells, Town Chair (Norwalk)
Make of it what you will.
Update: 3:45pm
The DeStefano campaign announced that the Communication Workers of America, Local 1298, have endorsed their candidate. Said Shonu Gandhi, DeStefano's campaign director, "Mayor Malloy's unveiling of endorsements today is an obvious response to the DeStefano campaign tv ad went on the air today. It's no surprise that Dan has some supporters. But the fact is since Attorney General Blumenthal's decision not to run for governor, John DeStefano has received growing support from Democratic leaders and groups representing working men and women throughout Connecticut."
The Malloy campaign earlier accused the DeStefano campaign of responding to their good fundraising numbers with the TV ad.
Malloy's campaign questioned investing in television commercials so far in advance of the Democratic primary in August and the general election in November 2006.
"It's so odd, frankly, we were wondering if our recent momentum" was the cause, said Chris Cooney, Malloy's campaign manager. (Pazniokas")
This could get ugly. In the meantime, I need an Advil.
Sources
Malloy press release: 10.18.05
DeStefano press release: 10.18.05
Pazniokas, Mark. "DeStefano Opens TV Campaign." Hartford Courant 18 October, 2005.
25 comments:
From a geographical standpoint (and upon first glance) this is an interesting list for a few reasons:
First, Mike Lawlor and Steve Dargan are both 3rd CD guys - more specifically both from the New Haven area. It's interesting to see support there for Malloy.
Similarly, there are a few towns from Eastern CT. This was largely thought to be Susan-country before she left the race, so it could be a sign Malloy is making progress with her former supporters (last quarters fund raising might also support this?).
Finally, some of those eastern CT towns and others are relatively small. A concern for both mayors is going to be their "big city" appearance. Apparently there must be some appeal in these towns for Malloy.
hmmm, a lack of presense from my CD2 brethren, and I know the support for Malloy is strong here. Maybe everyone is waiting for the muni. elections to finish before jumping on the wagon.
I don't have the whole list, but I know at least Representative Deb Heinrich from the Branford-Guilford (or maybe Madison?) area has endorsed John. The campaign will be coming out with a more comprehensive list soon, I am sure. John has some good support in Fairfield County, and with labor swinging his way, I fail to see this as a huge leap for Mayor Malloy.
ebpie,
It doesn't have to be bloody.
Julian,
See the update.
Wow, sounds like Malloy is really getting under the supposed frontrunner's skin. Destefano's campaign manager sounds almost laughably defensive.
It doesn’t have to be bloody. As a matter of fact I believe that by having DeStefano and Malloy energizing their bases we have the potential for a powerful convergence if both sides unite after the primary. Granted, that is a big ‘if’, but I will continue hard to encourage both sides to focus on Rell’s inability to deliver real results to make Connecticut better and to commit to working together after the primary.
Stamford has always been a political powerhouse and it is great to see people like DNC Committeewoman Ellen Camhi, former State Chair George Jepsen and former Speaker of the House, Moira Lyons, all from Stamford rally their friends to support Dan. I hope they continue to bring in more support, just as the DeStefano campaign will continue to bring in more support.
Hey Ghengis, what was the context of Shonu Gandhi's quote in the DeStefano press release?
It just seems really weird that they would put out a release and directly comment on something the other camp did, without being asked to. Politically speaking she (the campaign director) is just drawing attention to something she does not want attention drawn to.
Just curious.
Anonymous: You are welcome to read the press release at http://www.destefanoforct.com/node/633
I try to get all the press releases up on the campaign website as quickly as possible.
Speaking personally, and not for the campaign or whomever wrote the press release, I have two comments.
First, I joined the campaign because I want to promote open involvement in the Gubernatorial campaign. That is why I like getting the press releases up and why I have no problem saying good things about Mayor Malloy.
I believe that the more that people see about all the candidates, the better Mayor DeStefano will look.
Beyond that, we can do all kinds of hypotheses about what went on with the press release. Was it a mistake? Was there some reason that the campaign wants to draw attention to Malloy's press release? I don't know.
I will note that the DeStefano ad was mentioned on the 5:30 news with Malloy's endorsements as a footnote.
Sigh - you know what this board needs? A few more posts from DeStefano's blogmaster. I especially enjoy posts like the one at 4:16, where he acts so magnanimous, but clearly his only real intention was to slip in that the people he listed were from Stamford and imply that those few "rallied their friends" to round out the list from the release. Really cute.
Bottom line - if Malloy was cutting his checks that line in his last post would read: "I believe that the more that people see about all the candidates, the better Mayor Malloy will look."
Sigh - you know what this board needs? A few more posts from Malloy supporters that are afraid to post their real name.
At least Ellen, George and Moira are willing to lend their names to Dan's campaign. They should be applauded for this.
Wow, that's harsh! Back on the guv race, I heard the DeStefano ad buy was $10k or less. If this is true, it really was a free media buy to get the press all agitated, and surely looks more like a reaction to Molloy's numbers than any really move to "meet" the voters.
An intersting question....does a primary inherently have to be nasty? History would say yes-- most primaries do turn nasty as opponents try to differentiate themselves.
I think this one will turn nasty, but from a political rather than a personal sense. Either one will go left and one will go center, or they will battle for the left-- either way they will be trying to compare and contrast themselves (likely casting the other in a negative light).
What is avoidable is bickering about stupid things like endorsements. Who cares? No one. Why insult each other over that?
I'm still undecided (waiting to see some content from these two first), but whoever goes negative on stupid things gets a demerit in my book. (Negative on issues is not good, but they will both do it).
Aldon,
My suggestion - don't feed the trolls, and let them embarrass themselves and their candidates with childish sniping. As George Lakoff says, "don't think of an elephant" doesn't work.
Deanfan,
Aldon doesn't have to know people to be cordial to them. He tends to see the best in others - even to a fault.
Agreed that the DLC philosophy should be repudiated.
To all,
Half of these Malloy endorses are from his region of the state. The glass may be half full or half empty on his statewide appeal, depending on how you look at it.
Finally, there should be a special place in hell for the next headline writer who tells us that the [elected position here] race is "heating up" or "getting hot", as they headline articles on these silly tit-for-tat comments. There should be a special place in heaven for any reporter who can write a series of articles on where candidates actually stand on substantive issues. (I'm not holding my breath.)
Don't be impressed by Lawlor and Dargan. Lawlor and Sen. McDonald are working with the campaign and Dargan and Lawlor are really close.
And WHAT IS UP with DeStefano's campaign manager?
Why the DLC bashing? Do we need our candidates to be Democrats to talk about the issues or simply be like the Republicans and walk in lockstep? How about we vote for thoughtful people with Democratic views!!!
''I was amazed by some of the criticisms of the DLC from the Democratic left, who accused us of being closet Republicans, and from some members of the political press. . . . When we didn't fit neatly in their ossified Democratic box, they said we didn't believe in anything. The proof was that we wanted to win national elections, something Democrats apparently weren't supposed to do." Bill Clinton-- "My Life"
DeanFan
your ignorance is only surpassed by your viciousness. please refrain from making statements about people, who you do not know, as 'whoring' themselves. that does not lead to a productive and thoughtful discussion of the issues. further, if you research howard dean as a gov he was actually of the DLC ilk. i have said once, as i will say again, one of the main reasons why I am a dem is because we are inclusive and as long as people like DeanFan are assualting Dems with different views, we will never start winning elections again.
bdrubenstein888,
No court, not even a fickle court of public opinion, has found Malloy guilty of anything. To say so is beyond the pale. From what I understand Malloy fully cooperated with a thorough investigation and no wrongdoing was found. That's saying a lot considering our state's recent history.
You should retract that statement, sir or madame.
Aldon - as a fair minded person you should join me in condemning that statement. The trolls are taking over and we should check them on both sides and start having that productive conversation we both hope for.
You too Genghis.
Actually, it seems like the Court of Public Opinion has yet to take much notice of Malloy. In any case, he got a clean bill of health.
He does appear to have a union problem though.
Democrats would be very dim indeed to waste the momentum they're picking up from the current national Republican collapse to engage in a DLC-Left civil war. But hey, if they feel purity is THAT imporant...
Actually Mr. Rubenstein, that is not a fact. Some contractors that Mayor Malloy paid to work on his house subsequently did work for the city later on, and got that work through a bid process (and only in this way). A bid process that in Stamford, the mayor plays no role in. Surely you would agree that someone who works on a public official's house shouldn't be punished for that by never being allowed to work for the city again?
Perhaps you should turn your gaze towards New Haven, a city which does use no bid contracts, and whose Mayor sits on a board which hands them out.
DeanFan, Rubenstein,
The DLC did give us Bill Clinton. Love him or hate him he is a Democrat. Whether the DLC is the party's future is unclear. What is known is that their members continue to have success in a many states.
In our state and region, one in which moderate Republicans - Pataki, Giuliani, Bloomberg, Rowland, Rell, etc. - have enjoyed over a decade of dominance, we shouldn't assume the revelation of past or current DLC affiliation to be a death knell for any candidate.
You can argue all you want that this is Connecticut - a blue state, but so are New York and Massachusetts. The fact remains that we and our Yankee brethren have Republicans in the executive mansion. They were elected because they appealed to Democrats. It may be that Northern Democrats need a candidadte with similar crossover appeal. Maybe a DLC person, maybe not.
Regardless the anti-DLC sentiment on this thread is unfounded and propagated by a few misguided reactionaries.
DeanFan - I also thought Howard Dean was and remains a refreshing voice. I supported Dean, but I don't blame the entirety of the DLC membership for the assassination of his character. I blame certain Democrats - many of those also running for the Democratic nomination especially. But I also lay blame on Republican smear tactics, and a kowtowing media prone to fast judgment and oversimplification.
You point out the lack of DLC opposition to the Iraq War. Perhaps, but I would not blame the DLC for that either. Again, it's a confluence of factors, chief of which are the President and his gang of cronies, a timid media, and lack of skepticism by most of the American public.
The climate was such that Congressional Democrats had legitmate reason to fear losing their seats if they spoke against the war - some did. They lost to Republicans who would side with the President not just on foreign policy, but also on the domestic front. Hence the mess we're in that allows the confirmation of incompetent officials to critical posts.
I got off on a rant. My point is your anger is misplaced.
By attacking a DLC member who opposes the Iraq war and had nothing to do with smearing Howard Dean, both you, DeanFan, and Rubenstein are guilty of the same destructive infighting that brought down Howard Dean and has hobbled Democratic candidates for decades.
So either you're hypocrites or Republicans? I hope you're neither. Give me a reason to believe.
^
Wow, is that true? Destefano sits on the New Haven board that handles city contract's and bid's?
If so, what an unbelievable conflict of interest. Pay-to-play never fit so perfectly.
BDRuben, I agree with "Facts are Important" about the questionable validity of your theory that contractors that worked on Malloys house recieved no bid city work. In all of the articles I read about the Malloy inquiry, this issue was never raised.
I guess Im just looking for you to prove your statements, my opinion of Malloy would be very different if you did/could.
Democrats--
Keep up this fighting!! Take it more public!! You can tear down both our candidates before Jodi even raises a dollar.
Even better-- Malloy and DeStefano should spend all their money defining each other!
Ridiculous. This thread is why we have not won the Governor's race in 16 years, and why we might lose again.
I'm undecided between DeStefano and Malloy-- and honestly I don't give a crap. Just let's have a credible candidate for once, and not shoot ourselves in the foot
VDRubenstien-
Sir, you are being a very very negative person.
The DLC may be at odds with labor some of the time, but Malloy has always at least respected the people across the bargaining table from him. He is, as far as I know, the only candidate NOT to have testified AGAINST binding arbitration.
Word to your mother.
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