2014 Working Families Party Candidate Seeks GOP Nomination in 68th District Special.

Joe Polletta was the Working Families, Independent and Democratic parties 2014 nominee for state Representative opposing Eric Berthel in the 68th District. Polletta, who lost by a wide margin in 2014, wants another shot at the seat in this spring’s special election. Berthel has resigned from the district that encompasses Watertown and a slice of Woodbury after winning a February 28th special election to the 32nd Senate District.

Polletta, a Susan Bysiewicz booster, has recycled his 2014 Facebook campaign page and will join other candidates in meeting the delegates to the convention to nominate a candidate for the vacancy. Governor Dannel P. Malloy will soon set a date for the special election. There are no primaries in these anti-democratic and expensive contests. Limiting the nominating process to a handful of insiders can give rise to petitioning candidates who are popular among the party faithful but are not sufficiently chummy with the delegates from the last convention to win the nomination.

Delegates will hold an informal meeting tonight with Polletta and two Republican hopefuls. They are UConn student Adam Kruegler and Republican town council leader Tom Winn. Kruegler fits a Watertown tradition of nominating young Republicans for the 68th District seat in preparation for a career in lobbying. 

Delegates and other Republicans may want to take a look at the Connecticut Working Families website to see what Polletta supports. He was their candidate only 28 months ago. Polletta became a Republican in late 2015.