Arunan Arulampalam will end his campaign for state treasurer Tuesday. The Hartford Democrat enjoyed a second place showing at May 19th’s Party nominations convention. Fellow Hartford Democrat Shawn Wooden won the nomination to succeed incumbent Denise Nappier on the second and final ballot of the long day of nominations and roll calls.

Arulampalam’s withdrawal will leave Greenwich Democrat Dita Bhargava as Wooden’s only challenger for the party’s nomination in the August 14th primary. Bhargava explores a run for governor before a spring switch to the race for treasurer.

Arunan Arulampalam will make an announcement Tuesday on the future of his campaign for state treasurer. The Hartford Democrat qualified for the August 14th primary at this month’s Democratic state convention. The way forward is not clear in a campaign crowded with candidates facing a dearth of campaign talent.

Fellow Hartford Democrat Shawn Wooden won the party endorsement on the second ballot of the convention.

David Stemerman enjoys a breakthrough on the battleground of ideas with some praise from a Courant editorial. The brainy Republican distinguishes himsel as the only candidate of either party with a menu of ideas that makes no room for pablum.

Contrast Stemerman with Democratic plutocrat Ned Lamont. His solution so far is to summon everyone to a table to talk. Lamont’s vagaries, soldered to his hefty fortune, helped the self-funder win last weekend’s Democratic nominating convention with more than 85% of delegate votes.

Stemerman skipped the Republican convention and is expected to collect enough signatures from registered party members to win a spot on the August 14th primary ballot.

A night of payback in polite Glastonbury. Local Republican favorite Chip Beckett, former town council leader and almost state senator, was defeated by board of education member Lillian Tanski. The seat is currently held by Prasad Srinivasan, who this week ended his campaign for governor.

Tanski defeated Beckett 26-18 in the low turnout caucus. Beckett did not vote for Srinivasan at the May 11th Republican state convention.

Here’s Republican David Stemerman’s latest ad. He’s conditioning the environment while other candidates await their generous taxpayer-financed campaign grants.

The 30 second ad introduces a theme likely to be often repeated between now and November–Dannel Malloy morphing into Ned Lamont. It’s an attempt to remind voters that this is not what change looks like.

Stemerman, a Greenwich self-funder, is collecting signatures to gain access to the August 14th primary ballot. Watch for him to become the first to qualify among the three Republicans circulating petitions.

Pray for rain. Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Stefanowski will pay a $5 an hour bonus for collecting primary petition signatures in the rain. The Madison Republican pays $25 an hour when the sun shines. George Brehl, the campaign’s political director, wants Republican town committee members to see the appeal and spread the news. There’s a $30 bonus for collecting 30 signatures in a day, $50 bonus for snagging 40 signatures in a day.

Stefanowski, who is new to politics and voting, is discovering what veterans know. Finding and persuading thousands of Republicans to sign a petition is much harder than it seems. Nevertheless, the Brehl email notes the campaign is well-organized and on its way to 9,100 signatures.

Days of rain have been an impediment. The approaching holiday weekend will not help. Petitions must be to local registrars of voters on June 12th.

Mark Lauretti and David Stemerman are also collecting signatures.

State Representative Tony Guerrera defeated rival House member Matthew Lesser in their contest for the Democratic nomination to succeed state Senator Paul Doyle. Guerrera won a decisive 41-18 victory over Lesser for the Democratic nomination in the 9th Senate District that includes Newington, Rocky Hill, Cromwell, and parts of Wethersfield and Middletown.

Endorsed Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ned Lamont will debate rival Joe Ganim, should he qualify for the primary ballot, on June 14th on WFSB. Ganim, according to his campaign press releases is gathering petition signatures at a notable pace. If he continues on his current daily rate, he should have enough signatures–2% of the state’s registered Democrats–by the beginning of June.

Ganim fell a couple of percentage points of the 15% of delegates he needed at Saturday’s nominating convention to qualify for the ballot without having to undertake the grinding process of gathering signatures, which must be submitted to local registrar by the close of business on June 12th.

August 14th is primary day.

State Representative Prasad Srinivasan (R-Glastonbury) has ended his bid for the Republican nomination for governor. Srinivasan got off to a notably fast fundraising start when he began his campaign in 2017. That momentum was never matched by support from delegates or other party activists. Srinivasan was eliminated from competition at the end of the first ballot of the Republican convention on May 12th when he failed to capture 8% of the delegate votes.

A rare live edition of Face the State this morning at 11 on WFSB. Host Dennis House is joined by convention-endorsed Ned Lamont and Susan Bysiewicz. Susan Bigelow and I provide commentary in the final segment.