GOP Governor Candidates Begin Pairing Up

By Susan Haigh Associated Press

HARTFORD (AP) – With the Republican nominating convention less than a week away, two of the GOP’s candidates for Connecticut governor teamed up to become running mates Monday.

Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele announced that Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, a gubernatorial candidate since February, has decided to drop out of that race and instead run for lieutenant governor as Fedele’s running mate.

Appearing together on the steps of the state Capitol, they promised to work together as a team to make state government more efficient and reinvent the state’s economic development strategy.

“No fees, no taxes, no tolls. Our taxpayers have had enough,” Boughton told the crowd. “Mike and I get it. We understand your concerns. We understand your fears.”

Yet another leading Republican candidate for governor, Greenwich businessman Tom Foley, announced he won’t be picking a running mate. Foley, who has had conversations with potential lieutenant governor choices, said he believes the tradition of a gubernatorial candidate choosing a running mate “is an out-of-date remnant of our pre-primary system when our nominations for statewide office were determined at the convention.”

Another Republican candidate for governor, Oz Griebel, former chairman of the Hartford Metro Alliance, also has not announced a possible running mate.

Republicans and Democrats are scheduled to meet on Saturday at separate conventions in Hartford to endorse candidates for governor and the other constitutional offices. Both parties will also meet on Friday to endorse candidates for US Senate.

Foley said he’d be happy to serve with Boughton as his lieutenant governor. Foley said there are other good candidates as well, mentioning Lisa Wilson-Foley, a Simsbury businesswoman who has been collecting signatures to petition her way onto the ballot as a Republican.

“I am also going to encourage other qualified individuals to enter the race to promote a dialogue that will give Republican delegates and primary voters the best choice for the office,” Foley said.

The two leading Democratic candidates for governor already announced their running mates. Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont recently joined forces with Simsbury First Selectwoman Mary Glassman, who had been exploring a possible run for governor before switching to lieutenant governor. Last week, state Comptroller Nancy Wyman announced she was running as lieutenant governor on the ticket with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy, the former mayor of Stamford.