Mattei Follows the Bysiewicz Trail. Abandons Race for Governor to Run for AG. Trips at Starting Gate.

Hartford Democrat Christopher Mattei has thought about it for a week and decided he has a better chance to become attorney general than governor. The ambitious former federal prosecutor and first-time candidate will make his announcement Monday at 11 a.m.

Mattei has chosen the steps of the state’s Supreme Court on Capitol Avenue to meet the press. His inexperience is showing. Connecticut politicians have long treated courts as no-go zones for campaign props. Courts in the Constitution State are seen as places where the government should have no inherent advantage over the citizenry.

Attempts to politicize our judicial system flash all sorts of dubious signals. The first is what a clumsy transition Mattei is making from prosecutor to candidate. The second is that he is either getting terrible advice or ignoring wise counsel. The third is William Tong may have an easier time than party insiders have been predicting.