Rell makes it official today - she is running

[NewJeffCT]

No big surprise, especially with no major Democrat in the race with Blumenthal not running. Time to start a draft Jim Calhoun movement?

Testing Rell's Poll Numbers
Rivals See Softness On Economic Issues
October 14, 2005
By MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writer Gov. M. Jodi Rell begins her campaign today with a 79 percent approval rating and leads of 39 percentage points and 45 percentage points over her Democratic rivals, John DeStefano Jr. and Dannel P. Malloy.

Disheartening numbers for Democrats, to be sure. But the two urban mayors challenging the Republican incumbent are drawing inspiration from an unlikely source: George Herbert Walker Bush

President Bush began his re-election campaign in 1991 as one of the most popular presidents since the advent of polling, riding an 84 percent approval rating and a Persian Gulf War victory.

But a year later, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton made Americans forget Bush's war victory by relentlessly focusing on the faltering economy and a need for change after 12 years of a Republican White House.

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-demshope1014.artoct14,0,3273598.story?coll=hc-big-headlines-breaking

[Larkspur]

1. I'm supporting John DeStefano

I like his tactics against Rell. He's attacking her policies and those of Rowland's. He's going to make the race based upon policies and vision. If the Gov's race turns into a personality contest, Rell will win, unless she implodes. She would win the personality contest even if Blumenthal had decided to run.

Rell is not a leader. She is a follower in a leadership position. Because she is a follower, she is lead by polls which tell her what is the hot button issue of the moment. She has no long-term vision for Connecticut, and her Republican ideology will prevent her from having one.

DeStefano's major problem, as with any Dem gubernatorial candidates is to overcome the public's distrust of the Dem controlled Legislature. This distrust has its roots in the state income tax battle over a decade ago. The reason why Repuke gubernatorial candidates win is because the public does not trust power in the hands of one party. DeStefano and every Dem gubernatorial candidate will have to prove to the public that they will act independent of the Dem controlled Legislature. If the Dem candidate is painted as an extension of the Dem Legislature, he/she will get blown out.

No one is paying attention to the Gov's race right now and they won't start until mid-Jan 2006, so I'm not overwhelmed by Rell's poll numbers right now. Those polls can change as the Dems promote their messages during the primary battle and Rell can always make mistakes. If her poll numbers are still this high by September 2006, then she will win in November.

[NewJeffCT]

2. I don't think it's democratic mistrust

I don't think the state mistrusts the Democrats. I just think that Bill Curry was not an inspiring candidate either time, and Barbara Kennelly just was not used to running a tough race... she basically had cakewalks her whole career and didn't know what was needed for a tough fight. And, neither really got the support of the Democrats in the state legislature... I mean, who joined Curry in denouncing the Rowland corruption a few years back in his race? Nobody. And, it was almost all Republicans who criticized Rowland & demanded his resignation last year.