In Connecticut, Confusion, Drama and No Governor
By DAVID W. CHEN
Published: November 4, 2010
Thursday was the first full day of work for the transition team of Dannel P. Malloy, the Democratic who is certain he was the winner in the Connecticut governor’s race.
Douglas Healey for The New York Times
The Republican candidate Tom Foley, with his wife, Leslie Ann Fahrenkopf, on Wednesday.
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Malloy Declared Winner Over Foley for Connecticut Governor (November 4, 2010)
Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
Dannel P. Malloy, the former Democratic mayor of Stamford, was declared the unofficial winner.
It was also the first full day of work for the transition team of Thomas C. Foley, the Republican candidate, who claimed victory in the same race.
Clearly, one of these men is going to be terribly disappointed. But when and how that will become clear is still, well, unclear.
Mr. Malloy and Mr. Foley played a game of political chicken to see who actually becomes the 88th governor of the Nutmeg State.
All that is certain, for now, is that the two are separated by a few thousand votes. But beyond that, voters across the state are experiencing symptoms of political whiplash, given all the confusion and contradictions over the past three days.
"I’m hoping that Connecticut is not becoming Florida," said Thomas D’Amore, who was chief of staff to former Gov. Lowell Weicker. "Or California. For all of the ribbing that California takes with so-called Governor Moonbeam, he is beginning to make California look like the Land of Steady Habits. At least they seem to know who they’ve elected to office."
Sometime on Thursday, the state’s top election official, Susan Bysiewicz, the Democratic secretary of state, is supposed to announce the final, official vote. But adding to the confusion a news conference that was originally scheduled for noon kept getting pushed back.
Even the location of the news conference — somewhere in Hartford — is up in the air, because more reporters might show up now that Connecticut has found itself in an unflattering national glare. Then, at 3 p.m, reporters waiting outside Ms. Bysiewicz's office got word that there may not be an announcement today, after all, because the totals from — where else? — Bridgeport were not yet finalized.
Of course, it was Ms. Bysiewicz, and her office, who played a major role in the confusion. On Election Day, local officials in Bridgeport, the state’s largest city, inexplicably ran out of ballots a few hours before the polls closed at 8 p.m. The reason? They were banking on low turnout, and didn’t order more. So Ms. Bysiewicz, over the objections of Republicans, convinced a state judge to extend voting hours at 12 polling locations in Bridgeport until 10 p.m.
Mr. Foley led the returns for most of the night. But Mr. Malloy then declared victory _ kind of _ in a speech after 1 a.m. Not to be outdone, Mr. Foley declared victory, too, before stating that he was going to bed.
On Wednesday, Ms. Bysiewicz declared that Mr. Malloy was indeed the winner, by 3,103 votes _ unofficially _ based on information provided by election officials in every town. But Mr. Foley was having none of it. Declaring that his own numbers indicated that he had won, Mr. Foley even called to a radio program on Wednesday,` when Ms. Bysiewicz was on the air as a guest, and publicly chastised her.
"It was a bit out of character for him," said Richard Foley, a former Republican party chairman in Connecticut, who has known Mr. Foley for 20 years. "He is not given to flights of fancy. This was not his normal M.O." The two men, by the way, are not related.
Mr. Malloy, hoping to give his candidacy an aura of inevitability, held a press conference in Hartford later Wednesday, and announced a transition team, led by a former official in the last Democratic administration in the 1980s. Not to be outdone, Mr. Foley announced his own transition team, led by a utilities executive and a former state representative.
By Wednesday night, the story took another twist: the Associated Press, which had originally called the race for Mr. Malloy, withdrew its declaration, and said that, no, Mr. Foley had the upper hand.
It was all too much for a columnist for The Hartford Courant, Rick Green. He described the situation as "Ground Hog Day in CT: The Election That Won’t End."
Clearly, one of these men is going to be terribly disappointed. But when and how that will become clear is still, well, unclear.
Mr. Malloy and Mr. Foley played a game of political chicken to see who actually becomes the 88th governor of the Nutmeg State.
All that is certain, for now, is that the two are separated by a few thousand votes. But beyond that, voters across the state are experiencing symptoms of political whiplash, given all the confusion and contradictions over the past three days.
"I’m hoping that Connecticut is not becoming Florida," said Thomas D’Amore, who was chief of staff to former Gov. Lowell Weicker. "Or California. For all of the ribbing that California takes with so-called Governor Moonbeam, he is beginning to make California look like the Land of Steady Habits. At least they seem to know who they’ve elected to office."
Sometime on Thursday, the state’s top election official, Susan Bysiewicz, the Democratic secretary of state, is supposed to announce the final, official vote. But adding to the confusion a news conference that was originally scheduled for noon kept getting pushed back.
Even the location of the news conference — somewhere in Hartford — is up in the air, because more reporters might show up now that Connecticut has found itself in an unflattering national glare. Then, at 3 p.m, reporters waiting outside Ms. Bysiewicz's office got word that there may not be an announcement today, after all, because the totals from — where else? — Bridgeport were not yet finalized.
Of course, it was Ms. Bysiewicz, and her office, who played a major role in the confusion. On Election Day, local officials in Bridgeport, the state’s largest city, inexplicably ran out of ballots a few hours before the polls closed at 8 p.m. The reason? They were banking on low turnout, and didn’t order more. So Ms. Bysiewicz, over the objections of Republicans, convinced a state judge to extend voting hours at 12 polling locations in Bridgeport until 10 p.m.
Mr. Foley led the returns for most of the night. But Mr. Malloy then declared victory _ kind of _ in a speech after 1 a.m. Not to be outdone, Mr. Foley declared victory, too, before stating that he was going to bed.
On Wednesday, Ms. Bysiewicz declared that Mr. Malloy was indeed the winner, by 3,103 votes _ unofficially _ based on information provided by election officials in every town. But Mr. Foley was having none of it. Declaring that his own numbers indicated that he had won, Mr. Foley even called to a radio program on Wednesday,` when Ms. Bysiewicz was on the air as a guest, and publicly chastised her.
"It was a bit out of character for him," said Richard Foley, a former Republican party chairman in Connecticut, who has known Mr. Foley for 20 years. "He is not given to flights of fancy. This was not his normal M.O." The two men, by the way, are not related.
Mr. Malloy, hoping to give his candidacy an aura of inevitability, held a press conference in Hartford later Wednesday, and announced a transition team, led by a former official in the last Democratic administration in the 1980s. Not to be outdone, Mr. Foley announced his own transition team, led by a utilities executive and a former state representative.
By Wednesday night, the story took another twist: the Associated Press, which had originally called the race for Mr. Malloy, withdrew its declaration, and said that, no, Mr. Foley had the upper hand.
It was all too much for a columnist for The Hartford Courant, Rick Green. He described the situation as "Ground Hog Day in CT: The Election That Won’t End."
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