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Bysiewicz in Middletown: I will run for attorney general

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 12:37 PM EST

MIDDLETOWN - Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz today announced she is running for the position of attorney general, abandoning her bid for governor.

Appearing at City Hall in Middletown, she said she knows how to fight for the people of the state after six years in her position.

"As your attorney general, I would continue to fight for the people of Connecticut," she said.

The current attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, announced last week that he will seek a position in the U.S. Senate vacated by Chris Dodd, who announced he will retire.

"It had been my plan to explore a run for governor, until things changed last week," Bysiewicz said. "I have always thought that this was one of the most important positions in the state."

The secretary said she will work very hard to become the best attorney general she can be. She said she knows Blumenthal well, and "those are very big shoes to fill."

"It was one of the most difficult decisions I have made in my life," Bysiewicz said.

When asked by a television reporter whether she would pledge to stay in the attorney general position for the entire four year term and not seek another office, she declined to answer directly.

"One thing I have learned about politics is to never speculate about the future, because you never know," she said. "I pledge to work very hard to win the attorney general position."

She touted her record of preserving the voting rights of veterans and guaranteeing everyone access to the ballot as well as her crackdown on illegal businesses in the state, which brought in more than $5 million fines from unlicensed companies, she said.

Bysiewicz was born and raised in Middletown, and her children go to Middletown schools. Her oldest daughter just started her freshman year at Wesleyan University.

"I worked for six years for two of the most prominent law firms in the country," Bysiewizc said. "I pledge to you that I will bring a very strong work ethic to the position of attorney general. We want the people of Connecticut to be safe."

URL: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2010/01/13/news/doc4b4df510c792f275759624.prt

© 2010 middletownpress.com, a Journal Register Property

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Bysiewicz: she's in race for AG

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

By Middletown Press Staff

MIDDLETOWN - Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz today announced she is running for the position of attorney general, abandoning her bid for governor.

Appearing at City Hall in Middletown, she said she knows how to fight for the people of the state after six years in her position.

"As your attorney general, I would continue to fight for the people of Connecticut," she said.

State Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal announced last week that he will seek a position in the U.S. Senate that will be vacated by Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who announced he will not run again.

"It had been my plan to explore a run for governor, until things changed last week," Bysiewicz said. "I have always thought that this was one of the most important positions in the state."

Bysiewicz will be competing for the party's nomination for the legal post with former state Democratic Party Chairman George Jepsen, who is already stressing his legal credentials and commitment to the job as superior to hers.

"My experience as a practicing attorney for 26 years coupled with my broad record of legislative leadership and accomplishment establishes me as the most qualified potential candidate," Jepsen said in a statement issued Wednesday.

Several sources also said New Haven state Rep. Cameron Staples and state Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, are also weighing a run for attorney general.

Bysiewicz said she would work hard to become the best attorney general she can be. She said she knows Blumenthal well, and "those are very big shoes to fill."

"It was one of the most difficult decisions I have made in my life," Bysiewicz said.

She touted her record of preserving the voting rights of veterans and guaranteeing everyone access to the ballot as well as her crackdown on illegal businesses in the state, which brought in more than $5 million fines from unlicensed companies, she said.

Bysiewicz was born and reared in Middletown, and her children go to Middletown schools. Her oldest daughter just started her freshman year at Wesleyan University.

Read more about this story in Wednesday's edition of the New Haven Register and here at www.nhregister.com

URL: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/01/13/news/doc4b4dfc98a29d9462583935.prt

© 2010 nhregister.com, a Journal Register Property

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By DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press Writer

Jan 13, 1:34 PM EST

 HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz - the early front-runner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination - announced Wednesday that she is running for attorney general instead.

Bysiewicz unveiled her plans at City Hall in her hometown of Middletown.

"The strongest factor and decision point was where I could best use my talents and expertise and energy to serve the people of the state," she said. "And what was best for my family."

She had been considering running for the post after Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced his U.S. Senate campaign last week. Blumenthal's announcement came hours after Sen. Christopher Dodd said he wouldn't be seeking re-election.

"I can tell you that my phone started ringing off the hook after Sen. Dodd and the attorney general made their decisions," she said. "I listened to people from all over the state within our party and outside our party, and ultimately I made the decision in the early part of this week with my family."

Bysiewicz had a 3 percentage-point lead over other Democrats in a December Quinnipiac University poll about the party's crowded field for governor. Those who are raising money through exploratory committees include Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, state Sen. Gary LeBeau, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi and health care activist Juan Figueroa.

Former House Speaker Jim Amann has already announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.

Bysiewicz, 48, faces a potential Democratic primary in the attorney general's race against former state Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen, who has set up an exploratory committee.

There are no declared Republicans yet in the race to succeed Blumenthal.

When news of Bysiewicz's switch to the attorney general's race got out Tuesday a day before her announcement, state Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy alleged she was looking for an easier political path. In the governor's race, she was facing the hefty personal bank accounts of Lamont and Republican former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley, who are both millionaires.

And Jepsen released a statement Wednesday saying he would be committed to the job and pledged not to seek higher office in 2012 or 2014. He asked other candidates to make the same promise, which Bysiewicz declined to do.

Bysiewicz said Wednesday that she would make the same pledge Blumenthal made when he ran for re-election in 2006, that she would be the best attorney general she could be and work hard for state residents. But she said she has learned from her years in elective office to never speculate about the political future.

Unlike other states, Connecticut's attorney general is the state's chief civil court lawyer and is not in charge of criminal prosecutions. Blumenthal has focused on consumer protection, health, environmental, labor and personal privacy issues.

Before being elected secretary of the state in 1998, Bysiewicz worked as an attorney at several law firms handling corporate, international, banking, health care and pension cases. She was also a state representative for Middletown, Durham, and Middlefield from 1992 to 1998.

Bysiewicz said she would carry on the tradition Blumenthal has set over the past two decades.

Associated Press writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford contributed to this report.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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By CHRISTOPHER KEATING

The Hartford Courant

11:55 AM EST, January 13, 2010

MIDDLETOWN

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz announced Wednesday morning that she would run for attorney general, leaving a crowded governor's race where she was considered the leading contender.

"I'm very honored to have been considered the front runner ... but it wasn't about winning, it was about which position was the best to serve," she said at an 11 a.m. press conference at Middletown City Hall. Bysiewicz, 48, lives in Middletown.

"I know how to fight and I know I have a strong record of accomplishment to bring to this campaign," she said.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced last week that he was running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Christopher Dodd.

Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant

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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

By Abbe Smith, Register Staff

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz is expected to become the first potential gubernatorial candidate to formally weigh in on the legal debate over Connecticut's public campaign finance law.

A source close to the campaign said Bysiewicz plans to file a "friend of the court" brief today with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York in support of the Citizens Election Program.

In August, U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill ruled unconstitutional two portions of the state's campaign finance law, which has been seen by some as a possible model for national reform. The law aims to even the playing field in state elections by offering public campaign funding to qualifying candidates who opt to go with the program.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal filed an appeal of Underhill's ruling, and the 2nd Circuit is to begin hearing oral arguments in the case later this month.

Specifically, Underhill struck down a provision requiring minority party candidates to meet additional criteria to qualify for funds that he argues discriminates against those candidates. He struck down another provision establishing a financial "trigger" that would release additional funds to candidates if their opponents vastly outspend them.

In her amicus brief, Bysiewicz is expected to argue that it would be unfair to change the rules in the middle of an election year and further, that the existing Citizens Election Program is vital to fair election campaigns even beyond November's election, the source said.

Connecticut's voluntary public financing program has several goals. It seeks to limit candidates' dependence on money from special interest groups; it curtails excessive campaign spending; and it gives candidates without a large source of wealth a "meaningful opportunity" to seek public office in the state.

The public financing program could play a key role in the upcoming election as two of the candidates considering runs for governor are millionaires: Republican Tom Foley and Democrat Ned Lamont. If the 2nd Circuit upholds Underhill's ruling, it could put opponents to Foley and Lamont at a big financial disadvantage during the campaign.

Bysiewicz is one of six Democrats publicly exploring bids for the state's top office. The others are Lamont, former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, state Sen. Gary LeBeau of East Hartford and Simsbury First Selectwoman Mary Glassman.

Former House Speaker James A. Amann is the only officially declared Democrat running for governor.

For the Republicans, Foley, Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and Scott Merrell are running for the office. The gubernatorial race became wide open when Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced last year she will not be seeking re-election.

Bysiewicz, long a vocal advocate for open elections and campaign finance reform, is believed to be the first potential candidate filing a formal brief in the upcoming appeal court case.

She is expected to make an announcement this morning in Hartford about her action.

Abbe Smith can be reached at asmith@nhregister.com or 203-789-5615.

URL: http://www.newhavenregister.com/articles/2010/01/05/news/a3-ctfedbrief.prt

© 2010 nhregister.com, a Journal Register Property

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Associated Press

January 5, 2010

HARTFORD, Conn.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz (BYE'-suh-witts) is officially urging a federal appeals court to reverse a recent decision that struck down Connecticut's public campaign financing program.

Bysiewicz, a Democrat, is a potential candidate for governor. She filed a brief on Tuesday with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The public financing law provides public funding to legislative and gubernatorial candidates who observe certain restrictions.

A federal judge said the law is unconstitutional on several grounds, including the fact that it discriminates against minor party candidates.

The program is currently in operation, pending the appeal. Bysiewicz says it would be unfair to participating candidates if the court suddenly invalidates the program.

AP-ES-01-05-10 1144EST

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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In a Quinnipiac University poll conducted before Monday's stunning announcement that Gov. M. Jodi Rell would not seek re-election in 2010, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz scored highest among Democratic hopefuls.

When registered Democratic voters were asked whom they favored among a field of six possible Democratic challengers for governor, Bysiewicz captured 26 percent of those polled, with Ned Lamont close behind at 23 percent. None of the others registered more than 10 percent. Lamont lost a general election bid to unseat Sen. Joseph Lieberman after beating Lieberman in the Democratic primary.

The poll, released today, was conducted Nov. 3 to 8. Its survey of Democrats had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

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HARTFORD -- Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz emerged as the front runner Tuesday in the 2010 governor's race, when the Quinnipiac University Poll showed she would be within 6 points of Gov. M, Jodi Rell.

"I'm very encouraged and pleased by the results," Bysiewicz told reporters in her Capitol office the day after Rell announced she would not seek re-election next year.

"It actually confirms a private poll that we had done two weeks ago that showed me within six weeks of Gov. Rell," she said after a ceremony picking random polling precincts for recounts. "And actually with education, our poll showed that we could win over her by six points."

Bysiewicz said she continues to use her exploratory committee to test the political waters, but she would not commit to a date when she might convert to a candidate committee.

She said the pending appeal of a federal court decision throwing out parts of the state's campaign-finance reforms of 2005, puts the future of the program in doubt for the 2010 election.

So far, only James A. Amann, the former Democratic speaker of the House, is an officially announced candidate for the party's 2010 gubernatorial nomination.

Douglas Schwartz, director of the Q Poll, told reporters in the Capitol that in a potential head-to-head primary contest with Ned Lamont, the Greenwich millionaire who formed an exploratory committee for governor last week, Bysiewicz has a slight edge: 26 percent to 23
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percent.

"Susan Bysiewicz has the highest favorability rating of any of the six Democratic candidates for governor," Schwartz said. "Clearly she has a name-recognition advantage over most of them, although she has the same name recognition as Ned Lamont, but her overall favorability rating is stronger than Ned Lamont. For example, she does better among independents."

Among announced contenders in the Democratic party, Bysiewicz has a 43-percent favorability rating, while James A. Amann of Milford, the former Speaker of the House, has a 7 percent rating.

Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy has a 21-percent rating. Lamont is at 31 percent; state Sen. Gary Lebeau of East Hartford, 4 percent; and Ridgefield First Selectmen Rudy Marconi, 5 percent.

The poll was conducted by phone between Nov. 3 and 8. It surveyed 1,236 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent, 474 of whom were Democrats, with a margin of error of 4.5 points.

The premise of the poll was to pit Rell against potential challengers. "I am the only candidate among the six that has won a statewide primary and won general elections by very large margins," Bysiewicz said.

The poll found Rell with a 46 to 40 edge over Bysiewicz and voters gave the governor a 64-percent approval rating, up five points from her six-year low of 59 percent in mid-September.

Rell told reporters in New Britain Tuesday afternoon that the poll was flattering, but a bit out-dated, since she announced Monday night she would not seek re-election next year.

"I'm always honored and pleased by the reaction of the people of Connecticut," Rell said.۩

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With Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's abrupt departure from the race, Democrats and Republicans are suddenly scrambling for front-runner status as they prepare for primaries next August.

If the Democratic primary were to be held today, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz would be the winner with 26 percent of the vote, followed by Greenwich multimillionaire Ned Lamont with 23 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.

Dannel Malloy, the longest-serving mayor in Stamford's history, was third in the poll with 9 percent. Former House Speaker James Amann captured 3 percent, state Sen. Gary LeBeau of East Hartford got 2 percent, and Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, the least-known Democratic candidate, was last with 1 percent. The margin of error in the part of the poll that focused on Democrats was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

The race remains wide open, however, as 33 percent of the registered Democrats polled were undecided.

Rell Mum
Rell would not endorse a Republican candidate Tuesday, undermining Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele's statement Monday night that she had assured him of her support for the GOP nomination.

Instead, Rell mentioned that several qualified Republicans are potential candidates, and volunteered the name of former U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor, who lost a race for Congress in 1998.

When reminded about what Fedele had said, Rell responded, "He is one of many people right now that have expressed an interest. He hasn't declared yet that he's running."

Rell said she had heard that House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero, Senate GOP leader John McKinney and O'Connor might run.

"They're all great Republicans, and they're all very competent," Rell said.

Among the Democratic candidates, Malloy has lost ground even though he and Bysiewicz remain the leaders in the amount of money raised and in the number of campaign contributors.

Amann said that Lamont's entry into the race last week dealt Malloy a severe blow, draining his core support in lower Fairfield County. Lamont is from Greenwich; Malloy is from neighboring Stamford.

Malloy, though, went to the Capitol press room on Monday evening to tell reporters that Rell's decision to drop out of the race does not change anything for him.

Despite running statewide TV commercials and spending nearly $4 million before losing to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in August of 2006, Malloy is still not widely known around the state. The poll showed that 67 percent of respondents have not heard enough about him to form an opinion, including 74 percent each in Hartford, Windham, Tolland and New London counties.

"That's a problem for him," said Douglas Schwartz, the director of the Quinnipiac poll. "It's always been an issue for him."

Rell, too, noted that Malloy had little name recognition in the poll when compared with Lamont, a cable TV entrepreneur who won an August 2006 primary against U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman before losing in the general election.

But Roy Occhiogrosso, a strategist for Malloy, said: "Doug Schwartz's poll showed Dan losing to John DeStefano by 20 points 18 days before the primary, and he lost by less than two points. ... Polls this far in advance are meaningless to everyone except the people who do them and the inside political world. This early in the game, they are purely a function of name recognition."

If Cafero, a Norwalk Republican, were to run against Fedele, he would be opposing a close political and personal ally.

"He's one of my dear friends," Cafero said of Fedele. "I think Mike's a wonderful guy. I think he'd make a terrific governor. I think I've earned the right to make that consideration myself."

As a state legislator since January 1993, a deputy leader for 10 years, and the top House Republican since 2007, Cafero said he believes that he has enough experience at the state Capitol to be seriously considered for the governor's office.

He criticized all of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates for remaining virtually silent and largely out of the fray during the tough budget months of February through September as the legislature was battling over the state's worst budget crisis in decades.

Among Women
In an intriguing facet of the poll, Bysiewicz — the only woman in the Democratic field — led Rell among women voters in a theoretical election matchup. The poll, taken in the days before Rell's announcement that she will not seek re-election, showed that women voters preferred Bysiewicz to the governor by a margin of 4 percentage points. Rell, however, held a 46 percent to 40 percent advantage over Bysiewicz once men were included in the sample.

What it all might mean next year is unclear with Rell now out of the race, but Schwartz believed it was worth mentioning at some length. He said that although Bysiewicz showed strength among women against Rell, two of her Democratic competitors for the party's nomination — Lamont and Malloy — trailed Rell among women voters.

Bysiewicz "wins the women's vote, while both Malloy and Lamont lose the women's vote," Schwartz said.

Democrats outside the Bysiewicz camp suggest privately that her strength among women in a matchup against Rell no longer means what it might have.

The poll of 1,236 registered voters was conducted Nov. 3 to 8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

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Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz’s potential run for governor got a boost Tuesday as the latest Quinnipiac University Poll shows her running best among possible Democratic challengers.

Bysiewicz trailed incumbent Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell by just 6 percentage points — 46 percent to 40 percent — in a direct match-up, according to the poll taken last week, before Rell announced she will not seek re-election.

In a potential Democratic primary for the 2010 race, Bysiewicz leads 25 percent to 23 percent over former U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont with Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy, coming in with 9 percent. None of the other three contenders tops 3 percent.

Quinnipiac Poll Director Douglas Schwartz said Bysiewicz is the stronger general election candidate over her potential Democratic rivals, but Lamont’s personal fortune, which he also tapped in the 2006 Senate race, could provide an edge.

Given the tough economy with 86,000 people in the state losing their jobs and 400,000 without health insurance, Bysiewicz said she was “delighted and humbled that people think I can do the job (of governor.)”

She said she is the only one to win a statewide primary and statewide elections. As for Lamont’s money, “I don’t believe our citizens want someone to have the ability to buy an election.”

Lamont said he was thrilled with the poll, given he announced his exploratory committee less than a week ago. “I think the voters want someone who has the courage of his convictions and is not afraid to stand up to the status quo,” Lamont said, stressing his role as a private businessman.

Malloy, who won the Democratic Party nomination for governor in 2006, only to lose the primary to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., has been working for most of 2009 on a possible repeat run for governor, having decided not to seek re-election for mayor.

His low numbers in the Quinnipiac Poll show he has a name recognition problem with 67 percent of those polled saying they did not know enough about him to respond on a favorability question. Malloy could not be reached for comment, but his strategist, Roy Occhiogrosso, said the poll means “nothing.”

“Polls this far in advance of an election are poor predictors of election results,” he said.

The 2006 gubernatorial race between Malloy and Rell was overshadowed by the contentious Democratic primary between Lamont and U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, who lost to Lamont, but kept his seat in the Senate by running as an independent.

Rell’s exit from the governor’s race leaves six Democrats in the mix and three Republicans considering a run, while five Republicans and one Democrat are looking to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd in 2010, another hot Senate race that again could dominate the news.

DeStefano, who just won a ninth term as mayor in New Haven, ruled out another run for governor. “Frankly the issues that are important in the state, such as job growth, are going to get solved in places like New Haven,” DeStefano said. His efforts to bring about major school reform in the city “is of critical importance and deserves my full attention,” he said.

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