Connecticut holds three special legislative elections on Tuesday, February 24. One of them is for the State Senate, 23rd district, in Bridgeport. The Working Families Party nominee, Edwin A. Gomes, is a registered member of the party, and he is given some chance of winning. He is a former Democratic State Senator from this district, but he was defeated in the 2012 Democratic primary. The special election has five candidates on the ballot: Gomes, Democratic nominee Richard DeJesus, Republican nominee Quentin Dreher, independent candidate Rev. Kenneth Moales, and independent candidate Charles Hane.
The special election was triggered when Senator Andres Ayala resigned to become head of the state’s Motor Vehicles department. In November 2014, Ayala had been the only candidate on the ballot. Ayala received 9,476 votes on the Democratic line and 807 on the Working Families line.
Gomes is at a disadvantage because Connecticut’s discriminatory public funding law gives the Democratic nominee $71,017 in campaign funds. Because the Working Families Party didn’t poll as much as 10% in this district in November 2014, Gomes can’t receive any public funding unless he completes a petition signed by 10% of the last vote cast in this district. He can’t receive equal public funding unless his petition has 20% of the last vote cast. Nevertheless, it is not known if his petition succeeded.
How much public funding will Republican nominee Quentin Dreher receive?
All candidates should receive public financing, regardless of how little votes their party received in the previous election.
This is the only way we will ever get Big Money out of our elections and return government back to the people.
Because the Republican Party got over 20% for Governor in 2014, the Republican nominee is automatically eligible to receive $71,017 as well. However, all candidates must also obtain a certain number of small donations from residents of their district. I forget how many are needed for State Senate, but it isn’t a great deal. Still, this special election came up on short notice, so chances are the Republican nominee didn’t succeed in getting the small donations. So probably he is getting zero public funding. The Republican Party is very weak in this district and didn’t have have a nominee in Nov. 2014.