By Matt Clyburn
Gubernatorial candidates Democrat Dan Malloy and Republican Tom Foley are scheduled to square off in the first of eight debates on Tuesday Oct. 5. The debate will be held at 7 p.m. at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford.
Malloy is a lawyer and the former mayor of Stamford. He is also a graduate of Boston College and the Boston College Law School. Malloy’s nomination this year follows a loss in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 2006, despite being nominated by party members at the convention that same year. Malloy’s running mate, to hold the position of Lieutenant Governor, is State Comptroller Nancy Wyman.
Foley is a businessman and the former United States Ambassador to Ireland. He is also a graduate of Harvard and the Harvard Business School, as well as recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award for his business and economics work in post-invasion Iraq. Foley’s running mate is Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.
The winner of the Nov. 2 election will serve a four year term beginning on Jan. 5, 2011. The governor of Connecticut presides over the state’s executive branch of government and oversees more than 55,000 employees. The governor’s office is responsible for approving the state budget each year and has jurisdictional control over higher education and the CSU system.
The latest Real Clear Politics polling average gives Malloy an eight-point lead over Foley. Analysis by the RCP organization indicates that a myriad of undecided voters and a wide margin of error could swing the election in either direction. If the election goes in the direction that polls currently indicate, this could be one of the few opportunities for Democrats nationally to gain control of a governorship.
Connecticut’s highest executive office will be vacated by Governor M. Jodi Rell, who stepped into the position in 2004 following the resignation of former governor John G. Rowland amidst allegations of fraud. Rowland later pleaded guilty in federal court to said allegations and served eight months in prison.
