nothin Primary Pitch: I’m The True “Outsider” | New Haven Independent

Primary Pitch: I’m
The True Outsider”

Thomas MacMillan Photo

After battling for party insider votes, the state’s two Democratic governor’s candidates are now fighting to frame themselves as the outsider” in the race.

The new fight began minutes after a deciding vote at Saturday’s state Democratic Party convention in Hartford, where former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy won 68 percent of the vote, securing the party’s nomination going into a primary.

Wth 32 percent of the vote, Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont (pictured above) earned a spot on the ballot — and a chance to amplify a refrain that he’s again the outsider” candidate, the same mantel he assumed in 2006.

Malloy has spent his life in politics. I’m someone from the outside who’s not afraid to tackle the status quo,” said Lamont to a throng of reporters after losing the nomination. Lamont framed the fight as a repeat of 2006, when he received a similarly low percentage of support at the convention, then surprised the nation by toppling insider candidate U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman in the party’s primary. (Lieberman ran as an independent and won the general election.)

Who’s the outsider?” asked Malloy with a tone of incredulity in a subsequent press conference. He said Lamont has political machines” set up in many communities” in the state.

Meanwhile, Malloy also sought to be the outsider.” First, he contended he is the better candidate because of his experience as mayor in Stamford. Day reporter Ted Mann asked how he claims to be both more experienced in government, and an outsider at the same time.

Malloy replied that while he has been in office, he has been removed from Hartford politics: You couldn’t be further away from Hartford than Stamford.”

Thomas MacMillan Photo

Malloy (pictured) sought to challenge Lamont’s outsider” status on a couple fronts.

For his part, Malloy acknowledged that he again finds himself as the party nominee running as an underdog in the primary. The road ahead appears a lot like it when he sought the governor’s seat in 2006. At that time, he won the nomination at the convention, but lost the primary to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. Malloy said he now faces a candidate with substantially more name recognition” — and more money.

As he accepted his party’s blessing on the dais, Malloy was quick to pronounce himself the clean elections candidate.” He has qualified for the state’s publicly funded elections program, under which candidates agree to cap donations and spending, in return for public grants.

Malloy blasted Lamont for blowing up” the clean elections program, and refusing to take part in it. For his part, Lamont has argued that in order to defeat Republican millionaire Tom Foley in a potential general election, he can’t afford to fight with one arm.”

Thomas MacMillan Photo

Lamont, a millionaire, has been pouring money into TV ads, and wasn’t afraid to spend money on extra flourishes at the convention. He hired a jazz trio and sending flyers to convention-goers’ hotel rooms (pictured), in the chance that someone would turn over their cell phone number to the campaign in exchange for a wake-up call.

Malloy argued he’ll get added independents by participating in the clean elections program, which requires candidates to refuse money from lobbyists and state contractors.

Now that the convention is done, Malloy is in line to receive up to $2.5 million in matching public money as soon as June 2, according to his campaign senior adviser, Roy Occhiogrosso. In return for proving its support by collecting many small donations, Malloy will get a grant of $1.25 million, plus a match for each additional dollar Lamont raises over that, up to $2.5 million.

Malloy’s running mate, Nancy Wyman, stands to earn another $375,000 for the lieutenant governor’s race.

In a potential general election against Foley, Malloy would get a $3 million grant, plus matching funds for each extra dollar Foley raised, up to $6 million.

In all, the joint campaign stands to receive as much as $8.875 million in public money in the next 23 weeks, Occhiogrosso said.

We will be outspent, but we will not be outgunned,” Malloy concluded.

He said all the money Lamont has been spending doesn’t seem to have helped. Lamont spent nearly $20 million on his 2006 Senate campaign, and he did worse today” than he did four years ago, Occhiogrosso jabbed.

In 2006, Lamont lost the convention with 33 percent of the vote. This year, he performed 1 percent worse.

Lamont downplayed his performance at this weekend’s convention. He said it was more or less the same percentage he got last time.

Now I’m looking forward to the chance to talk to the voters,” he said. This is what we did four years ago. We won that primary. Look, we found out four years ago that whoever gets the endorsement at the convention, that does not determine who the nominee of the party’s gonna be.”

Lamont tried to turn the loss into fuel for his outsider” status claim.

On the podium, Malloy said he wished there wouldn’t be a primary. Now that there is, he intends to focus on the issues, like his experience with a poor economy, school reform and affordable housing.

Lamont declared he’s definitely running, and argued it will be good for the party.”

He said he looks forward to a good, solid” primary based on the issues”: like working with small business and expanding the economic pie.”

This is no time for a lifetime politician in there. You want somebody from the outside who’s not afraid to challenge,” Lamont said. That’s how you win in November.”

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