While the race for lieutenant governor on the Democratic side has always been framed as being a battle between a seasoned politician and an insurgent upstart, Monday provided evidence that both candidates view the race the same way.
Flanked by the mayors of cities and towns on the Eastern side of the Connecticut River, Susan Bysiewicz made the case that she is ready to step into the office of the governor in a way her opponent is simply unprepared for.
"Between 1945 and 2004 six lieutenant governors have had the opportunity to step up and be governor,” Bysiewicz said during a visit to Goodwin College in East Hartford. “That's basically once a decade and the people, the voters I think understand the magnitude of this decision and that's why I feel very strongly that we have a great opportunity."
The comment is a clear dig at her Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, the 31-year union organizer who’s mounting a strong challenge to the left of Bysiewicz.
Bermudez Zimmerman says she has no doubt she can run a state with tens of thousands of employees, and manage relationships in the House and Senate, if the situation called for it.
“My background is coalition building,” Bermudez Zimmerman said, during a visit to her Meriden headquarters. “My background as an organizer in negotiating contracts has a different take to the position of Lieutenant Governor.”
Bysiewicz picked up the endorsement from the top officials in East Hartford, South Windsor, and Manchester among other cities and towns.
Local
Bermudez Zimmerman recently picked up endorsements from the AFL-CIO and the Connecticut Working Families Party.
