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General Assembly Primary Revote Underway

DEMOCRATS IN HARTFORD AND WINDSOR SLUG IT OUT ONE MORE TIME

By Jeff Cohen

October 02, 2012

Today is re-vote day in Hartford and Windsor, where an August Democratic primary ended up in a tie. As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, the 5th district race is small and spirited.

Brandon McGee, a newcomer, is from Hartford. Leo Canty, a veteran of the teacher's union, is from Windsor. Both men want to serve in the state's legislature, but only one can. The August primary eventually ended in a tie, with both men sharing the same number of votes and a third candidate getting the balance.

But it gets weirder. The primary wound up in court, where the focus became an unopened absentee ballot thought to belong to a dead woman. Turns out, she wasn't dead at all. And when the judge opened the ballot, it was for......

Yep. The third guy.

So, with the tie unresolved, the judge ordered a revote for today.

At a Windsor polling place just north of the Hartford line, supporters for both men greeted voters. Colleen Falaguerra is Canty's sister.

"This is like a civics class. Your vote counts. Everybody's vote counts. If you think it doesn't just look at what happened here."

Ashlye Comer says she supports Brandon McGee.

"Because I believe in Brandon and I want to see someone that is closer to my age make some changes in Connecticut."

Helen Harvey was the 100th voter here by 10:30 this morning. She says it wasn't a great burden to vote a second time.

"It was quick. And I had to come out because I had too many phone calls."

That is, calls from the campaigns to get her to vote.

Bob Harris thinks McGee's youth and Canty's union history are both positives. He says he can't go wrong.

Harris: Even if I don't get who I vote for, I'm getting somebody I know I can still trust.

And in a race where one vote really can make a difference, Harris isn't saying who got his.

Cohen: You voted already?

Harris: Yeah.

Cohen: You're not going to tell me who you voted for?

Harris: Yep. Kennedy. [Laughter] He's coming back, y'all!

The polls close at 8 p.m.

For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.