Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim”™s gubernatorial campaign announced that it has collected nearly 20,000 signatures in its petition drive to qualify for an Aug. 14 primary election for the Democratic nomination for Connecticut governor.
The state requires that a candidate obtain 15,458 signatures to be verified by the Connecticut Secretary of State in order to qualify for a place on the primary ballot. The recent Connecticut Democratic Party convention endorsed Greenwich business executive Ned Lamont as the party’s candidate for governor, and Ganim failed to win enough delegate support to force a primary runoff. However, Ganim had already launched a petition drive ahead of the convention, and the state requires all petitions to be submitted by June 12.
After the convention, Ganim had criticized Lamont for choosing former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz as his running mate, claiming this ticket was “not inclusive and insensitive to the diversity of Connecticut.” He repeated the criticism in announcing his petition drive update.
“For us to win in November, Democratic voters need a candidate who can walk in any neighborhood, connect with a diverse group of voters, and can generate enthusiasm and turnout among base Democratic voters,” he said. “Our campaign is showing we can do that.”
