Malloy Out. Unpopular Governor Will Not Seek Third Term.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy is expected to announce at 2 p.m. today that he will not seek a third term. The unpopular Democrat won a narrow victories in 2010 and 2014 over Greenwich Republican Tom Foley. The 2014 was a particularly grim lesser-of-two-evils contest. Malloy devoted the first year of each term to proposing and imposing crippling tax increases on Connecticut residents.

Malloy’s surly personality and his destructive economic policies combined to deny him successes in reviving the state’s economy. Democratic challengers to a third term began to stir early this year, including state Senator Ted Kennedy, State Comptroller Kevin Lembo, Middletown mayor Dan Drew, and former state Senator Jonathan Harris.

A dozen Republicans have been looking forward to facing Malloy in the 2018 general election. They will need to do some quick calculating in remaking themselves and figuring out how to tie Democratic hopefuls to Malloy.

A small circle of Malloy advisors has been urging their benefactor to seek a third term. Persistently dire poll numbers have made that impossible, as Malloy’s announcement confirms. He remains the most unpopular Democratic governor in the nation.