KDW Commits To August Primary

Two New Haveners will be on the Democratic primary ballot for state treasurer this summer — as Karen DuBois-Walton committed to staying in the race and continuing to challenge state party-endorsed candidate, and fellow Elm City resident, Erick Russell.

DuBois-Walton, who has spent the past decade and a half leading the city’s public housing authority, made that announcement in a campaign email press release sent out Monday afternoon. She reaffirmed her intentions of campaigning at least through the August primary in her bid to become the next state treasurer. 

She made that announcement a little more than a week after Russell — an attorney, former state party vice-chair, and Westville resident — won the state Democratic Party’s endorsement for state treasurer during the party’s nominating convention in Hartford.

Both DuBois-Walton and Greenwich’s Dita Bhargava also qualified to have their names on the Democratic primary ballot after winning at least 15 percent of delegate votes during the convention.

All three are vying to replace outgoing State Treasurer Shawn Wooden in the role, which is responsible for managing the state’s pension funds, managing state banking relationships and short-term investments, issuing and managing state debt, and handling property like uncashed checks and proceeds from stocks and bonds and mutual funds whose owners can’t be located. On the Republican side, State Rep. Harry Arora of Greenwich is running for treasurer.

“In the week since the convention, I’ve been discussing this race with supporters around the state and beginning to construct a team, and one fact has become crystal clear: Connecticut residents are looking for a Treasurer with the public service experience to be effective from Day One,” DuBois-Walton is quoted as saying in Monday’s email press release. ​“The excitement we saw at the convention last week – from folks who’d never heard of me until that day – has carried forward. We are moving forward to the August primary, building an inclusive grassroots campaign that can win this summer and fall.”

DuBois-Walton also announced on Monday that her campaign will participate in the state’s clean elections program, meaning that she will not accept campaign donations worth more than $290 a piece, and she will not accept money from state contractors.

DuBois-Walton and Russell aren’t the only New Haveners running for statewide office who will have their names on August’s Democratic primary ballot. City Health Director Maritza Bond also intends to keep running for secretary of the state, after she qualified for the primary during the recent convention in Hartford. In that primary, she will be challenging state Democratic Party-endorsed candidate and Norwalk State Rep. Stephanie Thomas and, if she stays in the race, Meriden State Rep. Hilda Santiago. Branford’s Dominic Rapini is the state Republican Party-endorsed candidate for secretary of the state.