Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy defeated Republican Tom Foley 2010. Foley wants a rematch in 2014. Or does he?
On Tuesday Foley stood before a gaggle of cameras, a handful of reporters and a small roomful of mostly Republicans at Burroughs Center in Bridgeport to announce. Not that he is a candidate, but that he is forming an exploratory committee.
During Q&A he was asked “What exactly do you need to explore? What exactly is the cause of your uncertainty after winning a primary and losing the general election by only 7,000 votes?”
Find out what's happening in Trumbullwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
He answered that the state needs a New Direction and New Leadership (will this be his campaign’s theme?), and that he will tour the state to determine whether that’s what the people want, and that they want him to provide it.
“When will you make the decision?" "When I have the answer.”
Find out what's happening in Trumbullwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
He had opened by saying he selected Bridgeport to “highlight the plight of our cities.” He said “In towns like Bridgeport and Hartford there are too few jobs, with no relief in sight... the fate of our cities will be the fate of our state.” Foley added “I will be spending a lot of time in Connecticut's cities listening to problems.”
As close as he came to offering any solution was “We all share each other's problems, and we need to solve the problems of our cities.”
His motivation was called into question during Q&A - is this not “also political calculation? You won all the towns and lost the cities (in 2010). That's where Democrats win – Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport. If you don't focus on them you won't win. You learned that last time.”
He responded, glibly, “Apparently.”
The seemingly not yet ready for prime time candidate sprinkled the now standard Republican litany of complaints about Governor Malloy throughout his talk - “Malloy's record is frankly shameful... Connecticut had the worst economic growth of any state... Malloy imposed the largest tax increase in CT history, and said it falls mostly on middle income families and young families,” et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
For good measure he added “The citizens of CT are getting shafted by Governor Malloy, and the special interests in the capitol are overtaxing ordinary citizens and continuing a spending spree that benefits a few and threatens our future.”
Stating his purpose, Foley insisted “The state of Connecticut needs a new direction and a new governor to take us there, so I am announcing today that I am opening an exploratory committee for the race for governor in 2014.”
One of the more curious segments of the press conference was a side trip about something he said most people don’t know about him. When he was 17 he dropped out of high school for one year and took a long journey around the country. He found the U.S. to be “A vibrant, positive and generous country... Americans have an inclination to help others along by sharing what they have... We share a fundamental optimism and faith in the future.”
“I learned how difficult things are for many Americans, how important a good start and a little bit of luck can be. I also learned how much people depend on others for their well being their employer, their government, or a parent or a friend, so I guess it bugs me more than most when I see people being let down by those they depend on, particularly their government. This is another reason I am considering running for governor in 2014.
One wonders how he will address his revelation about people being let down with their government in light of his unremitting focus on reducing taxes and cutting spending.
Maybe a part of the answer - or is it a part of the question - was that Foley sees “getting our cities headed in the right direction is important for the entire state... our cities are not isolated communities... we all live together. We all share each other's problems (and we) need to solve the problems of our cities.”
Just how will he reduce urban unemployment and improve education in our cities’ schools?
During a back and forth about public financing, Foley said that he plans to qualify for public financing without yet committing to take it. He noted that General Election candidates have access to $6 million if they opt into public funding, and that only incumbents can raise anything close to that. So to reject public financing would most likely mean he would need to write a sizable check to equal what his opponent would be given. Not what he wants.
Foley’s bottom line was “With my message and Governor Malloy's record, if we have the same amount of money and I get in this race, I'll win.”How so? Are what he paints as shortfalls and failings of Governor Malloy real, or necessary doses of harsh medicine following some 20 years of Republican governors? Will Foley lay out a New Direction that is welcome relief, or bitter medicine? And barely 10 percent of urban voters are registered Republicans. Can he convince enough others that his version of austerity benefits them? Stay Tuned.
