Politics & Government

Boughton Drops Out of 2014 Race for Governor [UPDATED]

The Danbury mayor made the announcement in an email to donors Wednesday.

Less than 2 months from the Republican Primary for the 2014 Gubernatorial Election, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton announced Wednesday that he is dropping out of the race.

According to an email sent to donors to Boughton’s campaign and posted on a CT Post blog, the mayor believes “it is time to suspend my candidacy and call for party unity.”

As he exits the race, Boughton put his support behind Tom Foley, who ran against Gov. Dannel Malloy in 2010.

“I entered this campaign because Connecticut is headed in the wrong direction and I believe a positive, reform-minded Republican can challenge Dan Malloy and win in November 2014,” Boughton said in the email. “I now believe all Republicans should unite behind the endorsed candidates, Tom Foley and Penny Bacchiochi.”

Boughton and members of his campaign staff were not immediately available for comment.

Though Boughton had a strong showing at the GOP nominating convention, WTNH points out that he needed to combine campaign funds with a running mate in order to qualify for public funding, which failed to pan out.

As of Wednesday, Foley still faces State Sen. John McKinney and West Hartford politician Joseph Visconti in the Aug. 12 primary.

"I thank Mayor Boughton for running a strong, issues-based campaign and for bringing his skills and experience as Mayor of Danbury and a former legislator to the debate about solving Connecticut's problems," Foley told Patch in a statement Wednesday. "I appreciate Mark's endorsement and look forward to working with him to take Connecticut in a better direction. With smarter policies and new leadership we can restore the prosperity, promise and pride our citizens want and deserve."

State Sen. Toni Boucher and Avon politician Martha Dean also dropped out of the race ahead of the primary.



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