A shakeup on the Bob for Governor campaign. Veteran conservative campaign operative Tom Scott has left the self-funding Stefanowski campaign for governor. Scott had been a consultant on Stefanowski’s campaign since last fall. He’ll now devote his full measure to Joe Markley, the party endorsed candidate for lieutenant governor.

Scott and Markley were colleagues in the state Senate from 1985-1987.

Stefanowski is funding his own campaign and skipped the Republican nominating convention.

Mark Lauretti kept in reserve for a signature drive a significant chunk of the $250,000 he raised to qualify for public financing of his campaign for governor. It ought to be enough to get the Shelton mayor on the August primary ballot. Here’s the message he sent to supporters and others Monday morning:

Dear Delegate,

I wanted to thank you for your participation at the Republican convention this weekend.  While the results are not what we had hoped for, I could not have made it this far without you.  When I first announced and launched the Lauretti campaign for governor in April 2017, I knew I could never do this without the help from family and friends.  The past year has also allowed me to make so many new friends from around the state, and that is the best takeaway from this process so far!  While we came up short at the convention, I am determined to fight on.

It has been the honor of my life to serve as Mayor of the City of Shelton and I have always said if the people don’t want me, they won’t re-elect me.  After 27 years and 14 consecutive re-elections it’s safe to say that the people in Shelton are pretty happy with my job performance.

While Republican delegates took over 6 hours to endorse a candidate at the convention, ultimately registered Republican voters will decide our nominee for governor at the August 14th Primary.  I can assure you that my name will be on the primary ballot.

With your support on August 14th, we can make Connecticut affordable and prosperous.

I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,

Mark Lauretti

Lauretti on the primary ballot could be a lethal threat to Trumbull Republican Tim Herbst, who ran second at last weekend’s Republican nominating convention. The Shelton mayor has many friends in Trumbull and there appears to be a segment of Trumbull Republicans who have been waiting for a secret ballot opportunity to strike at their local Republican Malloy.

Deborah Herbst, mother and active presence in the political life of her son, appears not to understand the primary process. She weighed in with a signature Herbst family taunt (see above) directed at Lauretti.

Lauretti is expected to be joined in the difficult petitioning process by two other Republican gubernatorial hopefuls, Bob Stefanowski and David Stemerman.

Republican delegates arrived at their Foxwoods nominating convention to find an attack from prolific texter Tim Herbst on rival Mark Boughton. The Danbury mayor is expected to outpace the controversial former first selectman of Trumbull in Saturday’s balloting for governor.

No word when the secret settlement in Jablon v. Herbst will make an appearance on delegate seats or elsewhere. That’s the lawsuit filed by Herbst’s brother-in-law accusing the litigious Republican of trying to deny him the ability to make a living in a bizarre, but not singular, family dispute.

The matter was resolved early this year.

Mary Glassman (sometimes aka Mary Messina Glassman when she runs for office outside Simsbury) is not happy with many of her fellow Democrats. The former Simsbury first selectman is finding the race for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 5th CD a struggle. Condescension has not worked. Calling National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes a “shiny new toy” was not well-received by the party faithful. New Britain’s Manny Sanchez’s campaign is a reminder that Glassman is decades from her youth in the Hardware City with few ties to active local Democrats.

The generous  John Rowland campaign donor’s newest campaign renovation is to run as an outsider, the last ditch for the flailing hopeful. Glassman has run for statewide office three times, twice for lieutenant governor and once for governor. In 2006, the DeStefano/Glassman ticket won just 38% of the vote. Four years later, Glassman dropped her bid for governor and became Democrat Ned Lamont’s running mate, only to suffer a primary drubbing from Nancy Wyman. Glassman sought to portray Wyman as an aging relic, an ill-considered tactic that still evokes stinging comments.

There’s nothing fresh or new about Glassman. She has long been an insider with an eye for a public sector job that imposes few requirements of effort or scrupulous attendance. Glassman has enjoyed the privileges of an insider, including her most recent post as manager of CREC’s Orwellian Office of Regional Efficiencies. She’s been working the Penske file for years.

Time’s cruel cull has made Glassman a distant figure, one who’s future is all behind her after three unsuccessful bids for statewide office and a succession of public sector safe harbors. The candidate whose calling card was “someone fresh” is now a figure of distant campaigns. Mary Glassman is many things, an anti-establishment outsider is not one of them.

Next! This morning of reality checks finds state Representative Prasad Srinivasan (R-Glastonbury) exploring a Friday switch from the contest for governor to the one for secretary of the state. His supporters are making calls to weigh his chances at today’s convention, Daily Ructions has learned. Srinivasan enjoyed a fast fundraising start in 2017 when he became a candidate for governor. Delegates, however, have not followed.  The roll call for governor would likely see the Glastonbury allergist eliminated on the first ballot with no prospect of joining others in the August primary for governor.

Srinivasan would face former New Fairfield first selectman Susan Chapman, and would have a shot at winning the convention endorsement.

Update: The Srinivasan campaign says the candidate is not considering a bid for secretary of the state. (Pssst–He might want to tell some of his people to stop making calls testing his support for the late switch.)

The Lady Macbeth of Connecticut Republicans plunged her dagger into running mate Peter Tesei Friday morning. Erin Stewart is running for lieutenant governor. It is the first high profile act of treachery in the hours before Republicans convene for their nominating convention today.

It was only last month that Stewart was highlighting Tesei’s broad experience and perfection her partner in the race to lead Connecticut.

Stewart, a late entry into the race for governor, was running a shambles of a campaign and was likely to fall short of the 15% she needed to qualify for the August primary. The third term New Britain mayor struggled to find answers to substantive questions and was not as particular in keeping fundraising commitments as a candidate needs to be.

A practiced hand at betrayal is a skill that Republicans may not want to reward.

Months of persuading, cajoling and maneuvering by Republican candidates and their supporters reaches its traditional crescendo as delegates gather at a casino to place their bets on a winning ticket. The odds for Connecticut Republicans on victory–even after eight years of Democrat Dannel P. Malloy–remain formidable.

The iron law of numbers in the marquee race for governor will see some candidates eliminated on the first ballot if the rules adopted at the convention require 8% for a candidate to proceed to the second ballot. Mark Boughton, a familiar figure to delegates, seems to have been gathering sufficient momentum to win the party endorsement as the herd thins. A political convention in Connecticut does require some caveats. Delegates may have promised their vote to more than one candidate, but only get to cast one vote on each ballot. It can lead to some uncomfortable moments in and out of the convention hall. Also, stampedes to and away from candidates do happen.

If the roll call for lieutenant governor is held before the one for governor, some candidates who know they will not win the 15% required for a spot on the August primary ballot may want to consider their positions.

Logistics may be a challenge. A casino offers many diversions from the business of a political convention, which can become tedious for socially-inclined delegates. Delegates must be in their seats, not at gambling tables or slot machines, when their vote is cast by the chair of the delegations. Mischievous opponents may object to the casting of votes from delegates not in the convention hall.

This year, towns in the Second Congressional District are called first in each roll call.

Self-funders Bob Stefanowski and David Stemerman will collect signatures from registered Republicans to add their names and cash stashes to the primary competition.

Congressional district nominating conventions are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

Take a moment to salute East Lyme Democratic convention delegate Ed Morris. The nonagenarian is taking no guff from gubernatorial hopeful Sean Connolly. Morris is a veteran of WWII–Pacific theater–and spent much his career in the newspaper business.

Morris received an email with a subject line “Don’t be bullied and don’t settle.” Connolly claims, “The media and the establishment choose the candidates they want to see in office, and they expect you to fall in line.” The former Beefsteak Charlie busboy tells recipients, “You don’t have to settle for a candidate you don’t actually believe in.” (Connolly also wants delegates to know he is not a self-funding billionaire or career politician.)

Here is battle veteran Ed Morris’s marvelous reply:

“Sean:

“No one is bullying me for anything. I have been involved in local politics for over 65 years and have served as a town chairman and a member of the Democratic State Central Committee for more years than you have been born. I also resent your reference to the media as I was also a newspaper man having worked at The Hartford Times, Hartford Courant and the Manchester Journal Inquirer all my aunt working life and newspapers are in business to give people the news not to bully them into how they should vote. You sound like Donald Trump who would stop all media if he could get away with that dictator mentality.

“Ed Morris

“East Lyme”

Everything but “Bye Felicia.”

State Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) is a serious contestant in the sweepstakes for lieutenant governor. Winfield is expected to meet with Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Ned Lamont as soon as today to discuss joining his ticket. Navy veteran Winfield has proved a durable figure in the complicated world of New Haven Democratic politics.

Winfield succeeded Toni Harp in the state Senate when she was elected mayor of New Haven. Harp was an early prominent Lamont supporter.

New Haven often delivers more votes to Democratic candidates than any other municipality in the state.

The Time’s Up Act is having trouble in the House of Representatives in the final hours of this year’s legislative session. The revision of the state’s sexual harassment laws had seemed to be on a fast track to passage. Every bill is in danger of being derailed by a talkathon on the last day of the session. That may be happening today as some detractors of one of the bill’s sponsors, state Senator Mae Flexer (D-Danielson), halt the legislation’s steady progress to passage. Passage by the House would send the bill to Governor Dannel P. Malloy for his signature.

The next 7 1/2 hours will feature much maneuvering, cajoling, and bargaining.