Connecticut Comptroller Kevin Lembo entered the 2017 governor's race Thursday, becoming the third Democrat vying to replace Gov. Dannel Malloy.
Lembo announced that he would for an exploratory committee, aimed at raising enough money through small contributions to qualify for public financing.
The focus for Lembo on his first official campaign day was to showcase what could look like a campaign aimed at middle class workers and building the state's economy.
He said the state's strategy for both crafting a budget and recruiting business has been problematic due to revenue issues that have led to difficult decisions.
“It’s really hard to grow when you don’t what the rules are going to be and you don’t know what the path forward really looks like," Lembo said.
Lembo, who is in charge of the state's checkbook, has also taken a stand against initiatives of the Malloy administration. He voted against a package of bond projects that included $22 million for Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, based in Westport.
“I don’t think it’s a really good idea to take money and shovel it over to hedge funds, the really wealthy hedge funds in the world, when we’re not focusing on middle class job growth.”
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The same week Lembo announced his candidacy, Democrat Chris Mattei unveiled an a pledge to not take any lobbyist money. He asked all candidates to sign on.
During an interview, Mattei said of the pledge, “This, to me, should be an easy thing, right?" Mattei asked. "It shouldn’t be hard to say that as people who are considering public office, the only people we want to represent are the average people who are voting for us.”
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, a Republican who has also formed a statewide exploratory committe criticized Mattei for not prosecuting more Democrats when he worked in the Office of the US Attorney, and also asked him to sign on to a different pledge to not raise taxes if elected, and to look out for the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
