Figueroa Launches “Grassroots” Governor Bid

by Paul Bass | January 7, 2010 11:31 AM | | Comments (9)

DSCN1036.JPGA tenth candidate for governor entered the field Thursday. His pitch: He’s a newer face. And he can build a bottom-up coalition for change.

The candidate is Juan Figueroa. He planned a noon announcement that he’s filing papers to form an exploratory committee to seek the state’s highest office.

If he wins the Democratic nomination, Figueroa would be the state’s first Puerto Rican major party candidate for governor.

Figueroa, a former representative who’s 56, began his quest Thursday by focusing on a story: The story of how he helped build a statewide coalition to get health care reform passed this year.

As head of the Universal Health Care Foudnation of Connecticut (UHCF), he oversaw the effort to pressure the legislature to pass the “SustiNet” bill. The law established a nine-member board charged with coming up with a plan, by Jan. 1, 2011, for a statewide, affordable public health insurance plan (called SustiNet). Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed the bill; Figueroa’s group organized the coalition that successfully lobbied the legislature to override the veto.

The coalition included groups that don’t always work together in politics: small business people, clergy, doctors, reform activists.

“The experience I had bringing together the varying constituencies [for health care] is important. It can’t be politics as usual. We have to find ways of building common ground,” Figueroa said in a conversation Thursday morning.

Figueroa served as a state representative from Hartford for five years. He left the post in 1993 to run the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, a national civil-rights group based in New York. Since January 2003 he has run UHCF; he took a leave of absence this month to launch his campaign.

Figueroa joins seven other Democrats and two Republicans who have formed either campaigns or exploratory campaigns for governor. The Republicans are Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and former ambassador Tom Foley. The Democrats: Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, East Hartford State Sen. Gary LeBeau, former U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont, former state House Speaker Jim Amann, Simsbury First Selectwoman Mary Glassman.

Figueroa is one of several liberal-leaning candidates competing for the support of not-for-profit groups and activists who play a disproportionate role in primaries.

He stressed that his route to the nomination will have to come from the bottom up. He will compete with everyone else for his party’s nomination, through the party convention. He’s sending out letters today to town committee chairmen pitching his candidacy.

But he’s also planning from the start to run a petition drive to get on the ballot in a September primary.

“I believe if I do this it will be through the petition process,” he said. “It will be a grassroots movement. It will be bringing onto the political scene a new face.”







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Comments

Posted by: cba | January 7, 2010 1:04 PM

The Yule season has passed,and Al Gore is right with a prediction of global warming especially in Connecticut with all the politicians' hot air. Never in the annals of our State have we seen such a group of egotistical and unqualified individuals aspire to the Office of Governor, Attorney General, and United States Senate. Before you go to the voting booth,study those running before casting a vote so there won't be another Dodd in our future.

Posted by: The Count | January 7, 2010 1:57 PM

Is this another one of those "historic" campaigns like the failed Jackie James-Evers attempt to unseat Carl Goldfield?

Posted by: Jim | January 7, 2010 2:10 PM

I know especially in the Senate race with Simmons and that brain dead wrestler lady.
ones already been rejected by the voters and the other one has never voted

Posted by: Is he serious? | January 7, 2010 3:53 PM

Juan Figueroa would not make a good Governor, especially not during a time when the state finds itself in a fiscal crisis. As head of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, he walked out of the door leaving the organization with a $3 million debt. The NYT wrote about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/11/nyregion/civil-rights-struggle-for-survival-leader-returns-hispanic-legal-group-facing.html?pagewanted=all

Posted by: James D | January 7, 2010 6:25 PM

Mr. Figueora's ability to have a major impact in this race has now been officially confirmed: an anonymous blogger fears him enough to try to smear him. FYI - Read the article referenced above. In it, the charges against Figueroa come from "unnamed employees." Less than worthless.

In fact, like Kevin Lembo in the Lt. Governor's race, we now have a fierce advocate for the people in the race for governor. A man honored by the Hartford Business Journal as a "health care hero." A man who would not take "No" to health care reform from Rell/Moody/CBIA and led the successful fight to override the crass attempted-veto of SustiNet.

That's leadership - FOR the people.

Scary (to some), huh? Good!!

Posted by: iBloqWestHartford | January 7, 2010 8:34 PM

NOT a millionaire?

NOT a career politician?

And he's STILL allowed to run?

Cool!!

Posted by: CT Steve | January 7, 2010 8:38 PM

From the Huffington Post today:

"As the first president of the Universal Healthcare Foundation, Juan Figueroa was able to organize the efforts of many diverse organizations, build coalition between unlikely allies and artfully navigate the legislative water hazards ( including the override of a veto by an inexplicably popular Republican governor ) to bring real healthcare reform to Connecticut. This was no small feat."

"This special skill set, in my opinion, places Mr. Figueroa, "Hartford's Healthcare Hero," in position to open up a brand new demographic, in a classic insurgent campaign.
The front runners, (Reference Quinnipiac Poll) one, an old school career politician with unbridled ambition, the other a deep pocketed dilettante, in my opinion, would do well not to underestimate this fresh new candidate."

at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzanne-langlois/juan-figueroa-prepares-to_b_415086.html

Posted by: Facts are facts | January 8, 2010 8:40 AM

Mr. D:

While your spin is interesting, the New York Times article is heavy on facts - even if you take out the section about what the employees said, the facts in the article speak for themselves: he left the organization in a deep financial mess, with staff working half time or less than that,and with a very few cases on their docket. He did not complete the fundraising campaign, but simply walked away. And but for the return of the founding President, the organization could have ceased to exist.

Posted by: James D | January 8, 2010 10:07 AM

FAX GUY,

No one quoted by name in the article is critical of Mr. Figueroa.

Case closed.

And FYI: The NYT actually printed a glowing profile of Mr. Figueroa at the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, at: http://tinyurl.com/yfwxao

But why be so negative, friend... ?

Please tell us who YOU support, and why?

Thanks!

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