A Blowout

Perkins Wins Primary;

Will Face McLachlan

Councilman Duane Perkins won the Democratic primary over Terry Tierney yesterday. He did so by a very wide margin earning about eighty-six percent of the vote.

Perkins received 1,007 votes compared to Tierney's 159 votes. Turnout was very low, only at around ten percent.

Perkins will now face Republican Mike McLachlan in the general election.

Democratic Senate Primary

The News-Times had a nice article on the Democratic Senate primary in the paper the other day. You can read it here.

Duane Perkins was the endorsed candidate from Democrats, receiving their backing at their May convention. He currently is a member of the Common Council in Danbury representing the fifth ward. Challenging him is Terry Tierney, who had to collect over 600 signatures to force the primary. He is a real estate developer, but also a very active Democrat.

Perkins is definitely the favorite to win. He is the only one with lawn signs, and also has TV ads up. Tierney does have good name recognition in Danbury, but that might not be enough.

Based on his strength in Danbury, Tierney may actually be the better candidate to challenge Republican Mike McLachlan, who also has very good Danbury recognition. However, it appears as though Perkins will win this race, but anything is possible.

The Italian Festival

This past weekend was the annual Italian Festival. Like usual it was a good event with delicious food. It was also a time for many local candidates to show up and try to introduce themselves to the voters. I was there on both Friday and Sunday and will report on what I saw.

Friday night started out slow, but picked up by about 6:30. The place had David Cappiello for Congress balloons scattered all over the area. Also, his headquarters is located right in front of where the festival took place, so there were many signs out for him as well. Chris Murphy had no representation that night.

Cappiello himself was not there, but many Council members were. I spotted Republicans Mary Teicholz, Coleen Stanley, Shay Nagersheth, and Phil Curran. Also Democrat Fred Visconti. Others might have been there, I just didn't see them. Also walking around was Town Clerk Lori Kaback.

As for local candidates, I saw Republican State Representative Jan Giegler, who is running for a fourth term. I also spotted Republican State Senate nominee Mike McLachlan, and Terry Tierney, who is a Democrat running in a State Senate primary to see who challenges McLachlan.

As I mentioned I was not there on Saturday night, but I have heard that State Senator David Cappiello was there along with City Treasurer Dan Jowdy and Mike McLachlan. Others were probably there I just didn't hear about them.

On Sunday, the crowd was smaller, but it was also the Democrats afternoon. Congressman Chris Murphy was there along with State Representative Bob Godfrey, State Senate candidate Duane Perkins, former Mayor Gene Eriquez, and Town Committee Chairman Joe DaSilva. The Republicans in attendance were Jan Giegler, Mike McLachlan, and Dan Jowdy.

Once again, this is only what I saw and heard, other people were probably there but I just didn't see them. Just so everyone knows, I will be continuing to analyze the Danbury House races, but I will also be writing a post on the Democratic Senate primary which is next Tuesday. Stay tuned!

The 2nd District

Jason Bartlett (D-Inc.)

vs.

Melanie O'Brien (R)

In my opinion this is going to be the best of the four house races. The reason being that Republicans want it back, and Democrats want to keep it.

Jason Bartlett is currently representing the district, after he was elected to it in 2006 by about 54%. He previously ran unsuccessful for the spot in 2002 and narrowly lost in 2004. Republican Hank Bielawa beat him both times. This year, Republicans went with Melanie O'Brien who is an attorney in Bethel.

O'Brien is a very appealing candidate and perhaps the best choice the GOP could of gone with. However, Bartlett is a strong candidate and has good name recognition. He is always in the newspaper and his name is quite known. O'Brien does not have that on her side. She does however have the ability to do well. She has a very personable quality to her that could go very far. If O'Brien does a lot of door knocking and outreach in the community, then maybe she could pull off a win.

Of course Bartlett has a slightly upper hand being the incumbent, but he is far from a shoe in. This district is made up of three towns, Redding, Danbury, and Bethel. I believe Redding tilts Republican, while Bethel tilts Democratic. However, since O'Brien is from Bethel it could make for an interesting race in that town. Also, Danbury is more of a battle ground, with probably no clear favorite.

As of right now, this race is a toss-up.

What's To Come

As I have mentioned I will be analyzing the State Senate and four State Representative races. I have decided to hold off on the Senate, and start with the House seats. After I do those, I will then write on the Democratic Senate primary, which is only a few weeks away. With the election only three and a half months away, the time has come to start closely looking at these races.

Independent Senate Candidate

Manuel Bataguas has gotten the required 150 signatures needed to get his name on the State Senate ballot this November. You can read it here.

Bataguas tried to get the Democratic nomination, but failed and did not decide to pursue their endorsement. He is now going to appear on the ballot most likely as an independent.

The 24th Senate seat has become very interesting. The Democrats are in the middle of a primary battle between Councilman Duane Perkins, who got the nomination, and Danbury resident Terry Tierney. It will take place on August 12th. The winner of that will face Bataguas and Republican Mike McLachlan.

I will have more detailed analysis on the primary and Senate races in general, as well as the local House races within the coming weeks.

Fundraising Numbers

In the race for the fifth district, both Chris Murphy and David Cappiello have released their second quarter fundraising numbers. Here is what they raised, how much they have raised in total, and how much cash they have on hand.

Raised Second Quarter
Murphy - $515,000
Cappiello - $446,000

Raised In Total
Murphy - $2.275 million
Cappiello - $1.114 million

Cash on Hand
Murphy - $1.9 million
Cappiello - $710,646

Getting Campaign Cash

The News-Times ran an article today regarding the new campaign finance laws. You can read it here.

This year, state candidates can become a part of the new Citizen Elections Program. A candidate for the house needs to raise $5,000 from at least 150 people within the town or towns they represent. They will then get $25,000, which will give them $30,000 for the entire campaign. A senate candidate needs to raise $15,000 from at least 300 people. They will then get $85,000 to give them $100,000 for the campaign.

In Danbury, the only candidate who has officially received their money is Republican Mike McLachlan who is running for the State Senate. It is likely that the incumbent house members will get their money soon, as it is always easier for an incumbent to raise money. However, this will give challengers more of a level playing field. They won't have to worry about facing a well financed incumbent.

We will have to see if this ends up having a big role in the election.

Happy Fourth of July

Wishing everyone a wonderful July 4th as we celebrate the birthday of the greatest nation on earth. America will always be the beacon of hope, and we thank and honor the founding fathers who fought for the many freedoms we hold so close.

Some Polls

Quinnipiac has come out with a lot of polls this week, and here's a wrap up of them.

First of all, Barack Obama has a big lead over John McCain in Connecticut. Obama leads the Arizona Senator 56%-35%. A poll last month had McCain within 3% in our state, but it appears as though our residents have went back to their Democratic ways. The McCain camp has said that they want to target New Hampshire and possibly Connecticut as their two Northeastern states. As for Obama, it looks very good for him here.

Next, Jodi Rell is still popular, but not as much as she used to be. There was a time where 80% of our state approved of her job. In March the number was 76%, but it is now down to a 65% approval. The tough economic times for residents is likely to lead to her numbers going down, but all things considered she is still in good shape.

Also, Joe Lieberman and Chris Dodd lost some ground as well. Lieberman's approval has dropped to just 45%. He polls the worst with Democrats, which he used to be, probably because of his strong and vocal support for Republican John McCain. Dodd is approved by 51% of the state, which is the same as three months ago.

Connecticut may go blue in presidential elections, but it is really a purple state. The last poll I'll report on was which baseball team Connecticut residents like the best. In an essential tie, the Red Sox picked up 41% and the Yankees got 40%. Between New York Yankees blue and Boston Red Sox red, Connecticut is clearly a purple state.

A Senate Primary

Democrats Perkins, Tierney To Battle It Out

Republican Mike McLachlan will have to wait until August 13th to see who his Democratic opponent will be. Terry Tierney has announced that he has collected the 615 necessary signatures in order to force a primary against Councilman Duane Perkins.

Perkins was nominated by the Democrats in May. He has the support of many high ranked Democratic officials, such as former Congressman Jim Maloney and Danbury Democratic Town Committee Chairman Joe DaSilva.

Tierney however feels that he is best prepared to lead and has the knowledge to address the challenging issues we face. The primary will be held on August 12th. Perkins would appear to be the front runner based on the fact that he was nominated, but Tierney is known in Danbury. It may be the other towns of Bethel, New Fairfield, and Sherman that truly decide who will have the chance to face McLachlan. This should be fun to watch!

Your Predictions

With the beginning of the summer starting, it is time to evaluate the different races that will be decided this fall. Take this time to make predictions!

For President will John McCain be able to overcome President Bush, or will Barack Obama be swept in by a new crowd of voters?

For Congress will Chris Murphy repeat his impressive victory from two years ago, or will David Cappiello prove many people wrong?

For State Senate will Mike McLachlan be able to keep the seat Republican, or will Duane Perkins put it in Democratic control after over a decade absence?

For State Representative will incumbents Jason Bartlett, Joe Taborsak, Bob Godfrey, and Jan Giegler claim victory, or will Melanie O'Brien, Ted Farah, Roger Palanzo, and Bill Melillo take them out?

Let's hear what you think!

Who Will Be The Next VP?

We already know that come next January, we will have either John McCain or Barack Obama leading our country. However, we are still unsure of who will be in second command. Another words, who are those two candidates going to pick as their running mates? The following are a list of just some of the names mentioned as possible Vice Presidential picks.

John McCain's Running Mate
Mitt Romney
Mike Huckabee
Charlie Crist
Tim Pawlenty
Joe Lieberman
Rudy Giuliani
Condoleezza Rice
Bobby Jindal
Kay Bailey Hutchinson
Tom Ridge

Barack Obama's Running Mate
Hillary Clinton
Joe Biden
Chris Dodd
Ed Rendell
Kathleen Sebelius
Jim Webb
Chuck Hagel
John Edwards
Bill Richardson
Wesley Clark

Now, many other names have been mentioned, but these are some of the ones that keep being said. Both McCain and Obama will have a very big decision to make on who they want to share the ticket with. Will they look at who can carry a swing state, who shares their values, or who can help in different regions of the country? We will wait and see what happens, but it will be a very tough decision for both candidates to make.

A Journalism Legend

Tim Russert

1950-2008

Yesterday Tim Russert, the longtime host of Meet the Press, suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 58. Russert is mostly known for his Sunday morning show, but is also NBC News chief correspondent. He has surely made a name for himself and has influenced the way many of us look at politics.

It is extremely unfortunate that Russert had to pass at the moment he did, while not being able to cover the best presidential election ever. He would have loved it.

Today we honor his life, his service, and his passion of politics. May God Bless Tim Russert, and our prayers go out to his family and friends.

A Million Dollars

David Cappiello's campaign for Congress has announced that it has raised over a million dollars. It appears, based on Cappiello's statement, that he wanted to reach the one million dollar mark by June 30th. That is the end of the second fundraising quarter.

Congressman Chris Murphy had raised 1.8 million at the end of the first quarter. It is expected he will definitely pass the 2 million dollar mark by the end of the month. The interesting question we will have to see is how much cash the candidates have on hand.

Are We In Play?

Late last week, Rasmussen Reports released a presidential poll for Connecticut. It showed Barack Obama with a 47%-44% lead. This is a very small margin considering that he was up by double digits a month ago. Does this mean that John McCain has a shot at winning our state?

Well, I think it would be very difficult, but McCain has always done well in Connecticut. He won the primary this year, but also in 2000. If McCain wants to change the electoral map, like he says, then our state may be in play.

As of today, Obama would win Connecticut, but November is a long time away.

South Dakota & Montana Primary Results

Obama Wins Nomination

Clinton To End Campaign

Well, it's all over. At least the primary that is. Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination the other night, claiming many super delegates who chose in the final day of primaries. Hillary Clinton did not end her bid that night, but her campaign has announced that she will suspend her quest and endorse Obama on Saturday. She did manage to win South Dakota, as these were the results:

Clinton: 55%
Obama: 45%

However, the night ended with the last state going for Obama. He won the first contest in Iowa and after a lot of stuff happened in between, he won the last contest in Montana. These were the results:

Obama: 57%
Clinton: 41%

Now that this race is over the questions start over whether Clinton will be Obama's running mate. It's viewed as a dream ticket, but also can be seen as Obama going against his "change" message. Also, questions start over who John McCain will select.


However, time will tell what will happen. It's just nice to finally be in general election mode as we await one of the most exciting presidential campaigns ever between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. It will be a fun ride from here!

Puerto Rico Primary Results

Clinton Wins Big

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton easily defeated Barack Obama in the Puerto Rico primary. Here were the results:

Clinton: 68%
Obama: 32%

Tomorrow are the final two primaries in the race. Obama clearly has the delegate lead, and is within nearly forty to clinch. With super delegates running to him, Obama may be able to clinch the nomination this week. Some say Clinton may take her fight to the convention, but the possibility seems very unlikely. It will be interesting to see what she does, but it is likely that we won't be seeing any fireworks. However anything is possible!

State Representative Candidates

With the month of May gone, we now know who will be facing each other in the four State Representative races in Danbury. Here's what they look like:

2nd District
Melanie O'Brien (R)
Jason Bartlett (D-Inc.)

109th District
Ted Farah (R)
Joe Taborsak (D-Inc.)

110th District
Roger Palanzo (R)
Bob Godfrey (D-Inc.)

138th District
Jan Giegler (R-Inc.)
Bill Melillo (D)

As the month continues I am going to write about each of these races and analyze them. Some have the potential to get interesting, especially the 2nd district in my opinion.

Possible Primary

Councilman Duane Perkins might of won the nomination to take on Republican Mike McLachlan in the 24th State Senate race, but he may face another dilemma. Democrat Terry Tierney, who challenged Perkins for the nomination, has said that he filed the necessary paperwork to force a primary.

If he does force a primary, by getting the 615 signatures he needs, it will be held in August. Perkins won the nomination, by a very big margin. Teirney said that it was important to unite the party, however he has now said, the he is by far the best person for the job.

This could get very interesting.