As we look ahead to November’s elections, Danbury Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you need about every race in town. Here's our start on the candidates and issues (a first brush,) we'll be covering as November draws near. Bookmark this page for updates.
President
Barack Obama (D): The president to stump for his Democratic colleagues, although this year he could be more busy campaigning for himself.
Mitt Romney (R): The former governor is no stranger to Connecticut, having most recently . Columnist Lisa Bigelow compared to Obama's.
U.S. Senate
Chris Murphy (D): The Democratic congressman is by a 50-20 margin as he tries to win outgoing Sen. Joe Lieberman’s seat.
Susan Bysiewicz (D): The Democratic candidate for senate has her work cut out for her as she tries to lessen U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy’s strong lead .
Sylvester Salcedo (D): The Bridgeport lawyer is known for being one of the few Asian-Americans to run for U.S. Senate in the 2012 election — perhaps now the only one since — as well as driving to the Mexican border earlier this year to gain a some attention for his campaign.
Lee Whitnum (unaffiliated): The Greenwich resident spark some controversy when because Gov. Malloy and Rep. Chris Murphy are "lying to the people to pander to the ultra conservative branch of the Jewish community." She announced in June that she would
Linda McMahon (R): The former WWE executive tried – and failed – in her run for Senate two years ago. This year, she was the Republican favorite after .
Chris Shays (R): Despite losing the party nominations to Linda McMahon, .
Kie Westby (R): , the Southbury attorney said that career politicians have had their chance to make changes. "It requires a fresh face, a fresh approach," he said. Although he hasn't officially suspended his campaign, Westby recently announced that he wouldn't submit the signatures required to be part of the Republican primary.
Fifth District
Chris Donovan (D): There was a major setback in Chris Donovan’s quest to win the fifth congressional district. The FBI is looking into contributions to the Democrat’s campaign, and his campaign finance director has been arrested. Still, as he faces a primary challenge. This is Donovan's key voting record on Project Vote Smart.
Andrew Roraback (R): As controversy surrounds Donovan’s campaign, Republicans are backing Andrew Roraback for the U.S. House of Representatives. He has the endorsement .
State Legislature
David Arconti, who ran for City Council in November, will be running for the 109th Assembly seat against Andrew Wetmore, a Republican member of the City Council. The URL above on David Arconti is a News-Times story written by Dirk Perrefort story covers Arconti's background and the issues well. The second URL, a video, was shot by Danbury's Al Robinson, and we thank him for his efforts. The pair are seeking to win the seat being vacated by Joe Taborsak, a Democrat.
Dan Carter, a Republican, is running for his second term in the 2nd General Assembly District, which he first took by defeating incumbent Jason Bartlett in 2010. Carter has a background in professional health care and has taken a position against unionizing day care workers and home health aides as one group, His concern is that, “The bill would allow the two groups to bargain collectively for their subsidized wages, but not for health insurance, pension, working conditions or any other benefit.” Carter has offered his support for the sale of craft beer in pubs and other venues. Carter’s website details his early involvement with the ROTC program and stated that he served two terms in “war-torn Bosnia.”
Robert Godfrey is in his 12th term, and he is running for his 13th in the 110th Assembly seat, a seat so lopsidedly Democratic, Godfrey will win unless he quits. His opponent is Scott Demuth. Here is Scott Demuth's nomination for the race. This video was shot by Danbury's Al Robinson, and we thank him for his dedication and hard work.
Jan Giegler is running for reelection to her seat in the 138th Assembly district. She is now in her fifth term, and is seeking her sixth.
For state Senate, Michael McLaughlin, a Republican, is running for his third term as state senator, this year against Jason Bartlett, a Democrat, who formerly held the 2nd state Assembly district. Here is the first Danbury Patch story about their race. The senate 24th senate district includes Danbury, Bethel, Sherman and New Fairfield. McLachlan's record and background is outlined here by the website Project Vote Smart, which touts itself as the place were conservatives and liberals go for join together for the truth.
Bartlett lost the 2nd state assembly seat in 2010 to Dan Carter, who is also running for reelection. This is Bartlett's web site for his state senate campaign. This is his record on Project Vote Smart, which ends at 2010 with his loss.
