Bob Stefanowski did not hold a single official campaign event for 17 days after he won the GOP nomination for governor in a five-way primary.
His official campaign general election schedule had what amounted to its inaugural event during an appearance at the Crocodile Club’s 137th Annual Dinner at Lake Compounce in Bristol.
“It’s simple, if you want to cut taxes, vote for me and if you want the same as the last eight years and Dan Malloy, vote for Ned,” Stefanowski said during an availability with members of the media.
When asked where has he been for the past two weeks, he said he was focused on securing a second ballot line.
“I put a lot of focus on the Independent bid. We were spending a lot of time phone calling independents, meeting the head of the party,” he said. “That was a big win for us."
Stefanowski is a former executive of General Electric, UBS, and a payday loan company based in the United Kingdom.
He emerged from a crowded Republican primary field to win the party’s nomination for governor, an office targeted by the Republican Governors Association as perhaps its best chance to flip a governorship.
Politics
On fundraising, Stefanowski won’t say whether he intends to use his own wealth to bankroll his campaign, like his opponent, Democrat Ned Lamont.
"I don't like to reveal my secrets but we're going to put in enough to win. This is the number one target state for the Republican Governors Association. I've been talking to national donors."
Multiple GOP legislative and party sources have told NBC Connecticut that Stefanowksi has informed major players in the party that he has no intention of using his own resources to fund his campaign.
There is already a planned fundraiser for Stefanowski in Greenwich in mid-September.
Lamont has been out in the public eye since he won the Democratic nomination, holding multiple events on a variety of topics and in varying settings.
Stefanowski has released his first public schedule, planning to visit a series of fairs and community events all over the state over the Labor Day weekend. He said he campaign needed a break, but says he will be visible between the weekend and election day.
"After the primary we had to retool and you know, Lamont has been running with Susan for a while. I was in a five person primary. We hired some people. We got the Independent vote. I'm very happy with the last couple of weeks and you're going to see more of us coming out after Labor Day."
