Um, ok:
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/...
Tom Foley, the Greenwich Republican exploring a run for governor, is out with the first television advertisement of the campaign.
The ad is raising eyebrows because it isn't running in Connecticut; it's only being shown on two cable stations in New York City.
The 30-second spot tries to court New York voters who are unhappy with incoming Mayor Bill DeBlasio, a Democrat who leans farther to the left than current Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
“With your new mayor, I know many of you are thinking about leaving. Connecticut, with the same progressive policies you’re about to see in your city, may not be first on your mind,” said Foley, in the 30-second ad. “But wait a second. Connecticut next year will probably elect a new governor. When it does, Connecticut once again will be the place people want to be in the northeast." - NBC Connecticut, 11/11/13
Here's a little more info:
http://www.ctmirror.org/...
The spot was produced by Doug McAuliffe, who handled advertising for Foley’s campaign in 2010, when he lost to Malloy by 6,404 votes. It is running on Fox News Channel NY and NY1, but it is unlikely to make an impression –- beyond generating stories like this one.
The ad buy was minimal, a few thousand dollars.
“This is definitely not a huge buy,” Foley said, laughing. “This is about as small a buy as you can have and still be a buy.”
Foley said he was trying to have some fun making a serious point about Connecticut’s economic competitiveness under Malloy. The governor always is to quick to note that this state’s tax rate is attractive compared to New York and New Jersey, but Foley said it could be a lot better.
“I was just trying to make the point that while Gov. Malloy and his policies are driving jobs and young people out of the state, here you have a neighboring city where the same thing is about to happen,” Foley said.
It’s been unclear whose playbook, if any, Foley has been using since creating an exploratory committee in September, a step widely seen as prelude to formally announcing his second bid for the GOP nomination.
Foley’s put the political establishment off balance at his exploratory announcement by saying he intended to qualify for public financing, a program Foley vigorously criticized in 2010. And he accused Malloy of accepting improper payments from Dan Esty, the commissioner of energy and environmental protection, offering no evidence. Esty and Malloy deny Foley’s claim. - The CT Mirror, 11/11/13
Of course Democrats weren't impressed with Foley's ad:
http://www.dailyjournal.net/...
Neither Malloy nor Foley have announced yet whether they'll be candidates for governor in next year's election. Foley, however, has already formed an exploratory committee that enables him to raise funds to help qualify for state public campaign financing.
Candidates for governor in Connecticut must raise $250,000 in small contributions of $100 or less in order to participate in the program. Ultimately, they can receive at least $1.25 million for a primary and $6 million for the general election.
State Democratic Party spokesman James Hallinan said Foley "continues to pursue the most bizarre political strategy known to man. At the rate he's going, he won't even be his party's nominee, much less become governor."
In October, Foley agreed to pay for a public opinion poll that state election officials claimed was a candidate expenditure, even though Foley hasn't declared his candidacy. Foley claimed the poll was a legitimate expense of Voters for Good Government, a Delaware corporation that paid for the survey and lists Foley as its treasurer. Foley said it ultimately didn't make sense to fight the State Elections Enforcement Commission in court and he agreed to cover the $15,504 cost of the poll. - The Daily Journal, 11/11/13
Neither were Republicans:
http://www.courant.com/...
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who ran on the Republican ticket with Foley in 2010 and is now exploring his own run for governor, also was not impressed with the commercial.
"While it's an interesting campaign gimmick, I can assure you the strategy of our campaign will be the issues that Connecticut residents care about, not New York City residents,'' Boughton said Monday. "Those would be jobs, taxes, education.''
Because the media buy is small, Boughton said he believes that the commercial will have little impact because relatively few people will see it.
"This is just a campaign gimmick to get his name out there,'' Boughton said. "The time is long past for gimmicks.''
After winning re-election Nov. 5 as Danbury mayor with 71 percent of the vote, Boughton says he has set a time frame of mid-January to make a final decision on whether to launch a campaign for governor. He intends to seek public financing, adding that he expects to qualify for the money by the state Republican convention in mid-May.
A spokesman for de Blasio could not be reached for comment.
A multimillionaire and longtime business executive, Foley is apparently targeting wealthy New Yorkers and hedge-fund firms that might be considering joining their colleagues in the fast-growing investment business in lower Fairfield County. - The Courant, 11/11/13
Foley is just another example of your modern day Republican candidate. A wacko trying to appeal to big outside money to help him win a major office. But is the idea so crazy that it could work? We'll see. We'll also need to see if Malloy will run for another term. You can keep in touch with his campaign here:
http://danmalloy.com/