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CCSU Candidates Forum – Early Report

I’m currently processing the video I recorded at the event, and will have a full report with video highlights of the Democratic candidates online either later today or sometime tomorrow. Here are the initial details:

• Despite being a confirmed attendee, AG Richard Blumenthal was not present. It’s possible that he spoke before I arrived, but he was scheduled to arrive at the same time as the other candidates.
• Representative and AG candidate from the Republican Party Robert Farr was there, and first to address the audience.
• Republican candidate for Secretary of State Richard Abbate attended and spoke after Mr. Farr
• Stamford Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Daniel Malloy attended and spoke after Mr. Abbate
• Sec. of State Susan Bysiewicz also attended and spoke after Mayor Malloy
• New Haven Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate John DeStefano attended the forum and spoke following Bysiewicz
• Ned Lamont spoke after Mayor DeStefano–as expected, Lamont appeared to be the biggest draw to the event
• State Representative and Democratic Congressional candidate for Connecticut’s fifth district Chris Murphy followed Ned Lamont. Murphy’s first television ad begins airing today.
• State Representative Tim O’Brien from New Britain (House District 24) spoke last and used some of his short time allotment to endorse Ned Lamont, imploring attendees to choose Lamont in the voting booth on August 8th
• Senator Lieberman was not confirmed to attend, and unsurprisingly did not attend. Senator Lieberman has passed up three opportunities to speak publicly in New Britain in as many months. The first was on May 11 when the NAACP held a candidates forum at CCSU–at this event, Lieberman’s campaign manager spoke in his stead and it is my understanding that Lieberman himself had committed to attending. The second was on June 22, when Senator Lieberman was expected to attend the monthly New Britain DTC meeting–at this event, a representative from the Lieberman campaign spoke briefly. The third was today at CCSU–I saw no representative from the Lieberman campaign.