What Fedele Did Not Do.
Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele’s campaign did not provide a robust counterargument to rival Tom Foley’s lawsuit seeking to block a $2.2 million campaign financing grant to Fedele’s campaign. Maybe Fedele will wow Judge Julia L. Aurigemma will his lucid arguments on how his joint fundraising effort with running mate Mark Boughton meets the requirements of the complex law. His campaign, however, did little to lay a public foundation for that during the weekend. The terms of the argument made to Republican primary voters were left to Foley. Fedele mewled about the frontrunner resorting to the courts, but offered little defense of the way his campaign met the law’s requirement that he raise $250,000 contributions of $100 or less.
Fedele may be hoping that the State Election Enforcement Commission is nimble and conversant enough with the law that it will take the lead in defending against Foley’s claims, which are set forth in a 53 paragraph complaint. The state’s election agency won’t want to lose this one. It’s already under siege in two federal actions that could repel Connecticut’s assault on free speech.
The wisdom of financing political campaigns in light of the state’s budget woes will be left to candidates and voters. The growing deficit makes it harder than ever for candidates to explain how they justify a massive return on $5,000, $15,000, $75,000, or $250,000 in contributions.
Has anybody else noticed that the SEEC pays out faster than any other state agency? This is not the experience of state contractors and vendors.
5 comments
Not looking good for the Fedele/Boughton ticket.
The Foley campaign made the mistake of actually reading the General Statutes.
Regardless of the outcome today, this race has quickly become toxic. As Kevin points out, Fedele’s (ironically, known around the capitol as Mr. Nice Guy) response to the request for an injunction was not to issue a substantive defense of the SEEC’s interpretation, but instead to launch a vindictive counterattack against Tom Foley.
It is difficult to see either Fedele or Foley supporters switching camps come general election time, particularly in light of Chris Cooper’s venomous attacks. . . he has all but accused Tom Foley of drinking the blood of laid off mill workers. Should Foley/Boughton be the result of the primary, it is difficult to see Boughton reconciling a run as Foley’s running mate with the statements of Chris Cooper who, as spokesman for the Fedele/Boughton embryo, is Mark’s ostensible spokesman as well. One would think that, if Boughton seriously thinks he might stay in the race even if Foley wins, he would consider telling Chris Cooper to cool the rhetoric a bit.
As Kevin has pointed out, this is the weakest Republican field of candidates for governor in a generation. This problem will only be compounded by the fractious turn this primary has taken.
This started with Foley’s campaign challenging the SEEC, not picking on poor ole Mike. Chris Cooper is an old-time Democrat spin doctor who’s still living in the past (before his fellow Democrat Al Gore invented the internet) and thinks that people will take him at his word and believe the $hit he slings out there. I don’t know why Fedele has a nasty hack like this on his campaign staff because it’s doing him a whole lot more harm than good.
Agreed with Ed and Fuzzy, this is taking a nasty turn. I hope that the candidates can bring this back to the issues like the massive job losses that the state has suffered. Otherwise the Republican party is going to end up with a weak candidate for governor. I think most people don’t want to see this primary devolve any further. Just when I though that there was finally going to be a focus on the issues with the debate at 7 on Wednesday, all this election law garbage came up. Nobody honestly believes that we can have a campaign without a little mudslinging, but let’s at least not allow this to make a turn for the worse.