Search Results for "mattei"

John W. Cerreta, a former clerk to Justice Samuel Alito when Alito was on the Third Circuit, is favored to win White House backing for the Second Circuit vacancy created by the retirement of Connecticut favorite Christopher Droney, Daily Ructions has learned.

Cerreta practices law at the multi-state firm Day Pitney, LLC. The Simsbury Republican received his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in 2002 and his law degree from Cornell three years later.

In the 2018 campaign cycle Cerreta made the maximum allowable contribution to Democrat Shawn Wooden and left-wing Democrat Christopher Mattei, as well as $200 to one-note Republican Robert Stefanowski.

Cerreta was on a list of three potential nominees submitted by the White House to Connecticut’s two United States senators.

He couldn’t beat David Martin in a Democratic primary for mayor of Stamford, so William Tong’s claim he’ll beat Donald Trump is unlikely to convince anyone. Nevertheless, here’s the Democratic attorney general candidate’s first ad that you, taxpayer, are funding. It’s heavy on the hyperbole. Too bad Tong couldn’t rouse himself to this past spring for a judge being pummeled by a barrage of anti-Semiticism.

Doesn’t look like there are any shots at a courthouse in the ad. Tong must not have had a driver on the day the exterior shots were recorded.

Tong faces Paul Doyle and Christopher Mattei in the August 14th Democratic primary.

What does William Tong do? The question is not going away. The Stamford Democrat will face more queries on whether he meets the “Bysiewicz test” for trial experience to serve as attorney general. Tong won the Democratic endorsement for attorney general at the May 19th party convention. He faces two opponents in the August 14th primary, state Senator Paul Doyle (D-Wethersfield) and first time candidate Christopher Mattei.

Tong’s experience as a lawyer has been a burbling issue since the convention. The issue took on more significance when this WTNH story appeared Tuesday.

Even Tong seems unsure. When he made a campaign contribution to himself in June, Tong listed his occupation as “State Representative”. We take him at his word.

There’s no third way onto the statewide primary ballot in Connecticut. You either qualify at the convention or collect thousands of signatures. It’s official. Democrat Guy Smith fell 5,ooo signatures short of the 15,000 he needed to join Ned Lamont and Joe Ganim in the August 14th party contest for governor.

Smith had promised a mysterious third way to fix the state’s finances that would avoid tax increases and cuts in the state’s workforce. The message failed to inspire supporters in what started as a crowded Democratic field of hopefuls. Susan Bysiewicz bluffed her way into becoming Lamont’s running mate. Luke Bronin withdrew from the field of battle. Dita Barghava is challenging endorsed candidate Shawn Wooden for treasurer. Chris Mattei is in a three-way primary for attorney general. Smith’s campaign now concludes.

William Tong picks up a helpful endorsement from Toni Harp, mayor of New Haven and leader of Democrats. The race for the Democratic nomination for attorney general has been intense in New Haven. The size of the delegation makes it one of the convention’s big prizes.

Christopher Mattei, a Hartford Democrat who spent plenty of time in New Haven during his years as an assistant U.S. attorney has some support there. State Representative Michael D’Agostino is from nearby Hamden and has been emerging as a labor favorite.

In other AG news, Republican John Shaban filed what supporters will see as a disappointing fundraising report. The former state representative has raised a paltry $19,000 and has just $9,000 on hand.

Six Series D’Agostino, lawyer for bankers and other corporate titans, scored a big win in the AFL-CIO straw poll for attorney general today.

The results:

Mike D’Agostino: 47.7%

Chris Mattei: 24.8%

William Tong: 11.4%

No one: 8.7%

Clare Kindall: 7.4%

Paul Doyle: 0%

Labor is making its move in the Democratic contest for attorney general. The public employee-dominated movement is promoting Michael “Six Series” D’Agostino in the crowded race. The fast-driving German luxury ragtop driver as champion of working men and women features some challenging optics. The state representative can be seen speeding between home in Hamden, his Hartford law office and the State Capitol in the expensive BMW convertible (starting price: $86,700) with the legislative license plate. Man in a hurry, indeed.

Labor is cool on Stamford legislator William Tong and will not forget former prosecutor Christopher Mattei for dismantling former Speaker the House Christopher Donovan’s 2012 congressional campaign. That investigation nabbed some Donovan staffers and straw donors but failed to indict Donovan. The labor favorite’s campaign never recovered.

Corporate lawyer D’Agostino was a noisy champion of the ruinous deal worked out between Governor Dannel P. Malloy and state labor unions last year. The extension of benefits runs to 2027 and will prove a high hurdle to the next governor’s ability to restore the conditions that begin to allow the state’s economy to flourish.

Matthew Ritter is expected to give the race a pass, though he thanks everyone for their encouragement.

Paul Doyle is taking a look. He would run as a Democrat. It would provide him a graceful way out of a very difficult re-election to the Senate after his dramatic vote for the Republican budget.

Watch for Mattei to the switch from exploring a run for governor and becoming a candidate for attorney general.

This is going to be a brutal contest.

Attorney General George Jepsen will not seek a third four-year term. Jepsen informed office colleagues in an email this morning. The West Hartford Democrat’s decision will ignite a ferocious race to succeed him, particularly among Democrats.

Watch for Stamford Democrat William Tong to make a quick entry into the race. The open field could also allow gubernatorial exploring candidate Christopher Mattei to make a graceful segue into a race in which his chance of winning improves.

Jonathan Harris has learned all the wrong lessons from the $325,000 settlement (known in common parlance as a fine) state Democrats paid to the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) to keep his 2014 campaign emails and other documents secret. The West Hartford Democrat and former Malloy administration official returned dozens of lobbyist contributions last quarter because he received them during the legislative session when the law precludes lobbyists from donating to campaigns.

Harris, who is struggling to raise money for his lethargic effort, told the verboten donors that his exploratory campaign had received the dough after the Senate had called itself into special session, but before the House of Representatives had done the same. Out of that old abundance of caution, which was not in evidence in 2014 when Harris was running that state Democratic Party organization, Harris sent the money back. His third quarter report is rife with “REF” notations for the lobbyist refunds.

Harris is not the first Democrat eyeing the governor’s race. Rival and former election violation prosecutor Chris Mattei, a Hartford Democrat whose exploratory effort is stepping on twenty Bronin toes, has also had some trouble with basic fundraising rules.