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City Republicans Seek Alliance with Democrats

Andy Hart

September 22, 2011

Hartford’s Republican Party, in an apparent attempt to curb the growing power of Hartford’s Working Families Party, have endorsed five Democrats:Pedro Segarra for Mayor, Adam Cloud for Treasurer and Alexander Aponte, Kyle Anderson and Ken Kennedy for City Council.

These five candidates will join the three endorsed Republican candidates for City Council: incumbent Corey Brinson and challengers Michael Fryar and Sweets Wilson, on the Republican B?Line of November’s ballot. The Democratic candidates will also be listed on the Democratic A Line, of course.

Republican Town Chairman Mike McGarry said, “The general concensus among Hartford Republicans is that we cannot match the campaigning resources the Working Families Party has historically gathered from its union backers, which support the WFP with money, volunteers, phone banks and so on.”

The Working Families Party has nominated Luis Cotto, Larry Deutsch, Joel Cruz and Cynthia Jennings for City Council.

McGarry said he had accepted the Republican nomination for mayor in July with the understanding that he would serve as a placeholder until the party decided whether it would endorse a Democratic candidate for the post. Following the party’s decision to endorse Segarra, McGarry officially withdrew from the race.

In other campaign news, Segarra has launched a reorganization and trimming of his campaign staff. “While we take nothing for granted on election day, much of the campaign apparatus was set up in anticipation of the primary,”?said Segarra. “We will be campaigning hard up until November 8, but we will not need as many staff members going forward and want to spend the money we have raised in a prudent fashion. I was honored to work with those who helped us win the Democratic Primary.”