Yet another Connecticut Democrat has formed an exploratory committee ahead of a possible run for governor… just not someone a lot of Democrats will want as their nominee. Joe Ganim, who served as mayor of Bridgeport from 1991 to 2003, served in federal prison from 2003 to 2010, and won back the mayor’s office in 2015, has filed.
However, because he’s a felon, state law forbids him from receiving public financing. Ganim petitioned for an exemption a few weeks ago, and the State Elections Enforcement Commission is to make their decision in July. If Ganim is rejected, he could take the matter to court. If Ganim doesn’t qualify for the campaign finance program, he will have a tough time bringing in enough money to compete. And even if Ganim does get his exemption, it’s still a challenge to raise the $250,000 in small donations necessary.
Ganim has a long and… interesting career in Bridgeport politics. Ganim was mayor of Bridgeport through most of the 1990s, and he was often credited with revitalizing the city and holding down property taxes. Ganim did run for governor in 1994, but ended up as the lieutenant governor nominee on Team Blue’s losing ticket. Ganim wanted to run again in 2002, but a corruption investigation ended that dream. Ganim was convicted of steering city contracts in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of perks, including expensive wine and diamonds.
However, Ganim staged his comeback in 2015 by narrowly unseating incumbent Bill Finch in the Democratic primary. Ganim still had a loyal base of support from voters who fondly remembered his earlier tenure, and the police union backed him over Finch, who they frequently feuded with. Ganim does not have a good relationship with Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy, who refused to back him in the general election, and Ganim expressed interest in running for governor before Malloy announced he would retire instead.
As we’ve noted before, while Bridgeport is Connecticut's largest city, it still only contains less than 5 percent of the state's population. If Ganim ran, he'd need to convince a lot of voters who aren't familiar with his accomplishments that they should look past his ugly history, which may be very difficult. It won’t be any easier if Ganim can’t raise enough money to get his message out. Ganim’s close win two years ago also indicates that local Democrats are far from solidly behind him. Still, the Democratic primary is shaping up to be a crowded race, and it’s not impossible that Ganim could ride a narrow plurality to victory.