Republican Dominic Rapini has been counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until he unveils his renovated website for weeks. Wednesday at noon is the day and time.

The Branford Republican was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2018, waging a primary against party-endorsed candidate Matthew Corey. Convention endorsements are usually followed by primary wins in Connecticut. Rapini’s experience was no different–except he lost every town to Corey in the quiet contest.

Rapini is said to be considering a bid for secretary of the state. He would become the second Republican to announce his intention to seek the office. Brock Webber, a political consultant, created a campaign committee for the office shortly after three-term incumbent Democrat Denise Merrill announced earlier this year she would not seek a fourth term.

Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2021.

Emmy-winning actress Debra Messing will assist Democrats by Zoom this afternoon as they attempt to heave Democrat Alexis Gevanter over the finish line in Tuesday’s special election in the 36th Senate District. Messing, best known for her long run as Grace Adler in the popular television comedy Will & Grace, will urge voters to support the corporate lawyer tomorrow.

Messing has enjoyed a varied and distinguished career on stage, television and film. She starred in the 2002 Woody Allen film Hollywood Ending, a decade after Dyan Farrow, a decade after the director was accused of sexually assaulting his daughter.

Messing, who grew up in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, is an active Democrat and has created a vigorous presence in social media.

Please join me Sunday at 10 a.m. on WTNH’s This Week in Connecticut with Dennis House.

Dennis and I examine mayoral races in Stamford and New Britain. We also touch on the slow start to the 2022 contest for governor and Republican excitement at George Logan’s bid for the 5th CD seat held by popular Democratic incumbent Jahana Hayes.

It’s still true: The most congenial television studio in Connecticut is wherever Dennis House is working.

David Martin with an impressive show of support Wednesday. The mayor of Stamford announced he has submitted “nearly 3,000” signatures from fellow Democrats to qualify for a September 14th primary against state Representative Caroline Simmons, the party-endorsed candidate.

Martin’s announcement noted he submitted almost twice the number of signatures required to force what observers expect to be an intense primary campaign. Martin gave a preview of what the next month will see. His signature news was accompanied by a shot at the wealthy Simmons, a longtime Greenwich resident. “The Mayor’s office is not for sale and it is not a stepping stone to political stardom,” Martin declared.

The Martin campaign’s signature announcement directed inquiries to Av Harris, a former official of Governor Ned Lamont’s administration who has become a bitter critic of the Greenwich Democrat. Harris, who was fired from the Department of Public Health, turned to conservative radio to tell tales of life with Lamont.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face a petitioning candidate, local hero Bobby Valentine. Simmons.

Registrars of Voters will be accepting primary petitions until 4 p.m. today.

Stamford mayor David Martin will need valid signatures from 5% of the city’s 31,000 registered Democrats.

A Bloomfield slate challenging the endorsed slate for town council did not wait until the deadline to submit its signatures. It has been certified, continuing that towns tradition of Democratic primaries for local offices. Many signs for Row B are on lawns on the town’s busiest streets.

Lee Griffin came close to winning the East Hartford Democratic Town Committee’s endorsement at its July nominating meeting. The retired police officer and former board of education and town council member serves as the town’s treasurer. The town committee contest, Griffin says, featured many last-minute switches, leaving him with 45% of the votes cast.

Griffin will need to collect more than 700 valid signatures from local Democrats to challenge the winner of the town committee contest, former Republican town council member and town finance director Michael Walsh, in a September primary. The confident Griffin said Saturday that he and his team are on course to qualify for the primary ballot. It should not take this much time and effort to participate in a primary..

Making it easier to cast a vote has limited effect if candidates are kept off the ballot by the hurdles that serve party organizations.

Posted August 7, 2021

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, explains what to expect in the next several months as we continue to grapple with the pandemic. Jha’s informed optimism will reduce some of the uncertainty and trepidation you may be feeling.

State Representative Caroline Simmons held off a strong challenge from incumbent David Martin to win the Democratic endorsement for mayor in a rare Sunday town committee convention. Simmons defeated Martin 21-19.

The two Democrats will face each other in a September primary in what is expected to be a bitter contest between privilege and grit. Martin has been counted out before. Martin won his first term in 2013, inflicting a stunning primary defeat on Attorney General William Tong, then a state representative from Stamford. Martin won an easy re-election four years later.

Simmons is originally from neighboring Greenwich. Her wealthy family enjoys warm relations with Governor Ned Lamont.

The winner of the primary will face independent candidate and Stamford favorite son Bobby Valentine.

New Haven Board of Alder member Darryl Brackeen has filed a campaign committee to explore a bid for statewide office. The four-term Democrat is considering running for secretary of the state. Three-term incumbent Denise Merrill is not seeking re-election.

Brackeen’s July 13th filing with the State Elections Enforcement Commission indicated he was also weighing a campaign for the General Assembly. He amended it eight days later to limit his exploration to statewide offices, not including treasurer.

Party leaders and activists have been receiving calls from a platoon of Democrats testing their support and that of others interested in running for secretary of the state. Others are waiting for a signal from Kevin Lembo, the state’s third-term comptroller, on his 2022 intentions.

New Haven sends the largest delegations to state Democratic conventions.

David X. Sullivan, retired federal prosecutor and 2020 Republican candidate for the House of Representatives from the 5th CD, has joined the law firm McCarter & English. Sullivan will work in the multi-state firm’s litigation and white collar practices. The firm’s announcement is here.

Sullivan recently filed a termination of his 2020 campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission. The first-time candidate raised $405,000 in his bid to defeat Representative Jahana Hayes, who was seeking a second term. Sullivan appeared to enjoy the crucible of the campaign as it continued.

He lost to Hayes by a 32,000 votes, a margin of 9%, according to the Secretary of the State.