Ned Lamont wins CT-GOV Primary endorsement; likely nominee

[brooklynite]

Connecticut Mirror

Democrats endorsed Ned Lamont for governor Saturday, putting their stock in a wealthy Greenwich businessman who became a national figure in 2006 with his antiwar challenge of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. They rejected an 11th-hour plea by Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim to overlook his criminal record and place him on the primary ballot.

But delegates dealt Lamont a rebuke over his choice of Susan Bysiewicz as running mate. Bysiewicz was assured of the endorsement, but nearly 40 percent of delegates swarmed to Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, whose protest candidacy took flight in just three days, guaranteeing her a place in the primary.

Overall, it could be a busy August for Democrats, with three-way primaries guaranteed for state treasurer and attorney general, plus a two-way contest for lieutenant governor.

Lamont, 64, who is largely self-funding his campaign, as he did in his Senate race and again in 2010 in an unsuccessful challenge of Dannel P. Malloy for the gubernatorial nomination, is promising a left-leaning approach to the state’s fiscal issues that he insists can coincide with economic growth and a welcoming business climate.

[RhodeIslandOne]

1. This is disasterous

Hate to say it, but a New England state may go red in the Governor's office in THIS election. Don't know anything about the Rethug, but CT Dems have not fielded a good top of the slate here.

[vi5]

2. Man, I forgot about that race in 2006....

When a great many Democrats supported an independent spoiler who ran against the winner of the Democratic primary.

Funny how that's fallen down the memory hole.

[Nanjeanne]

5. Actually it was the Republicans who voted for Lieberman - not the Democrats. The R field

was horrible and since Lieberman was basically a Republican who posed as a Democrat who then became an Independent when he lost to Lamont in the Democratic primary - the R's rallied around LIEberman and elected him. If you are trying to equate LIEberman's brief run as an Independent to something else - sorry, the facts don't fly. And I say that as a Democrat and a resident of Connecticut.

And . . . if CT does go Red - as it very well may in the Governor's race - it will be because Malloy was a pretty lousy Governor. CT has a history of R Governors. The one before Malloy was an R (Rell) and the one before Rell was an R (Rowland). Weicker was elected to the Senate as a Republican and elected as an Independent for Governor in 1990.

[Demsrule86]

9. Lamont is a very bad choice...

It will be on him. I hope he realizes that he should never run again.

[Nanjeanne]

10. No Dem that I can think of is going to have much chance after Malloy. Certainly

not any in this field. Who are you voting for?

[Demsrule86]

15. I no longer live in Connecticut but of course I would vote for the Democrat in the general.

My brother no doubt will vote Republican( his only fault). My sis in law will vote Dem...the rest of our family is spread out all over the US. I lived in Ridgefield, Brookfield and Stamford. With a better candidate in a Trump mid-term we could have taken this seat.

[Nanjeanne]

18. As I said,CT has a history of many R governors and after Malloy I don't think

Dems have much chance. I had hoped Dan Drew would have stayed in the race but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Given the politics of this state I don’t expect a Dem governor to be elected certainly a felon wasn’t going to inspire people. Will see how Lamont campaigns.

[Demsrule86]

21. I am aware of that...but with a good candidate in this election...we could have won.

I don't dislike Lamont but I don't think he can win statewide.

[Nanjeanne]

22. Yes but we didn't have a sure-fire fabulous candidate in this election and no one on the horizon . .

so . . .

[Demsrule86]

23. That is true...let's hope the dislike of Trump will help.

[Nanjeanne]

24. Amen.

[vi5]

11. I don't mean the voters

I'm talking about the elected, establishment Democrats.

I know Lieberman was a Republican who posed as a Democrat. I've known that since he was Al Gore's running mate.

I know that the Dem voters of CT didn't want Lieberman and didn't support him. But I thought I remembered quite a few elected Dems or Dem leaders at worst actively throwing their endorsements to and supporting Lieberman in the GE over Lamont and at worst, only half-heartedly supporting the Dem nominee. My apologies if I'm wrong about that.

I thought it was similar to what happened in my home state of NJ with some Dems explicitly and implicity supporting Chris Christie for re-election over Democrat Barbara Buono.

[Nanjeanne]

12. Sorry. I misunderstood. Don't remember establishment Dems flocking to him. But

I could be wrong. I think only 4or 5 other Dem Senators actively endorsed him. But I don’t really remember. I was so furious about the whole mess he created in this state.

[vi5]

14. True. He was and is a horrible person

Lieberman that is.

I guess my point is..that as someone in the NY/NJ/CT area I've seen what happened with Lamont in 2006 where as you said, maybe Dems didn't flock to Lieberman but they also didn't full throatedly support Lamont either and a few actively supported Lieberman.

I've seen what happened with elected Dems hanging Barbara Buono out to dry against Christie.

I'm seeing now what's happening in NY with the "Independent Democratic Caucus" throwing control of the state to Republicans and Cuomo doing little to nothing about it.

And yet I have people on here yelling "SUPPORT ALL DEMS ALWAYS AT ALL COST!!!!THE PARTY NEEDS TO STICK TOGETHER!!". Which is hard to take seriously when I witness the establishment in 3 big, important, essentially blue states not do that.

I'm not saying DON'T support Dems most of the time as voters, but I've also seen how shitty and shady the establishment of the party can be when it doesn't suit their own personal interests over the good of the people and the voters in the party.

[Nanjeanne]

19. Oh I hear you. And in agreement.

[IronLionZion]

17. Jumping Joe got endorsements from many prominent Repubs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Lieberman#General_election

On November 7, Lieberman won re-election with 50% of the vote. Ned Lamont garnered 40% of ballots cast and Alan Schlesinger won 10%. Lieberman received support from 33% of Democrats, 54% of independents and 70% of Republicans.

His win that year gave him a dangerous amount of power because Dems had to bribe him to get him to keep caucusing with the Dems. He's such a D-bag that he deliberately weakened the ACA and other important legislation.

[BlueStater]

3. Criminal record?

Who, Lamont? If that's the case, I was unable to find any information online concerning that.

[brooklynite]

4. No, Ganim

He apparently argued that a conviction shouldn't block his ability to be a nominee.

From City Hall to Prison and Back, Ganim Now Eyes Governor’s Mansion

BRIDGEPORT, CONN. — Joseph P. Ganim, the mayor of Connecticut’s largest city, is selling a message of imperfection, but also redemption.

He is the embodiment of the second chance: After serving as Bridgeport’s mayor in the 1990s and early 2000s, Mr. Ganim, a Democrat, was convicted on multiple charges of corruption and sent to federal prison. Seven years later, he emerged from his “time away,” as he calls it, a changed man.

He returned to City Hall as mayor in 2015, vowing to make his mayoral redux squeaky clean — even hiring, as a senior adviser, the F.B.I. agent who was a key member of the prosecution team that convicted him.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/nyregion/connecticut-governor-ganim-bridgeport.html

[BlueStater]

6. Okay, thanks.

I thought I might have misread that.

[Demsrule86]

8. He ran against Lieberman in a primary and beat him...but Lieberman beat him

in the general...2006 I think.He never wins.

[Demsrule86]

7. Ned Lamont won't win.

He never does.

[Cha]

13. Good Luck to Ned Lamont!

I remember we wanted him so badly against LIEberman.

He won that primary.

[Demsrule86]

16. I hope he wins...but I just don't think he has much support.

[Nanjeanne]

20. Yes we did!