Danger, Luke Bronin. Why Those 6,000 Perez Slate Signatures Matter.

Mayoral hopeful Eddie Perez and his slate of Democratic candidates for other Hartford offices performed an impressive feat by collecting more than 6,000 signatures for primary petitions. The Perez campaign has little money, so it must rely on volunteers. Organizing and deploying volunteers to collect more than twice as many signatures as required suggests that Perez and his allies have built a campaign-ready team. One that will be prepared for the onslaught of money from Greenwich scion incumbent Luke Bronin.

If Perez can persuade 90% of those petition signers to vote for him in the September 10th primary, he will likely be the winner. Bronin’s troubles will multiply if there are 2,143 valid signatures among the 3,000 submitted by state Representative Brandon McGee.

The strong showing with signatures may cause bet hedgers to start contributing to Perez, even if it means enduring the wrath of the rapacious Bronins. There are ambitious Democrats who would like to see Bronin eliminated from contention for higher office in 2022. Do not be surprised if some of those Democratic hopefuls give discreet nods to supporters that it is ok to throw a few dollars to Perez.