‘Culture Of Incumbency' dampens Support For Challengers

[Larkspur]

http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=0119571F-2FF8-43E6-9559-B18423C08843]http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx...59-B18423C08843

Three days after his best friend died in a boating accident last month, Andrew Maynard, the Democratic candidate for the 18th District seat in the state Senate, attended a fund-raising event in West Hartford. He hoped to garner support from Capitol insiders for his bid to unseat six-term Republican incumbent Cathy Cook of Mystic.

Maynard had raised three times as much money as Cook during the reporting period that ended in June, and some political observers were regarding him as the strongest opponent Cook has faced. Former presidential hopeful Howard Dean has endorsed him, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has hosted a fund-raiser for him and former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. has singled him out as the one young candidate who impresses him.

So, when Maynard, the three-term warden of Stonington Borough, headed to a country club restaurant in West Hartford, he was expecting to pick up some campaign donations.

Five people showed up.

Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr., a Democrat from Brooklyn, left after 20 minutes. Earlier this week, Williams denied hosting the event even though the invitation indicated he cordially invited people to attend.

Those who did attend seemed like they wanted to be somewhere else, Maynard said, adding, “It felt as though it was obligatory for them.”

Two days later, a frustrated Maynard issued a press release in which he criticized his party's leadership for fostering a “culture of incumbency” in state government. While he said he has received strong support from rank-and-file Democrats, the backing he's gotten from Senate Democrats has been “lackluster.”

“Our campaign is disappointed in the support it has received,” Maynard said he told Williams and Majority Leader Martin M. Looney of New Haven. “Perhaps it is because the word is out that once I am in Hartford I will speak out firmly and loudly on issues such as public financing of campaigns, true tax reform and reducing the cost of prescription drugs.”

Maynard said the leadership of the Democratic Party needs to re-evaluate itself, pointing out that the party has failed to get a gubernatorial candidate elected since 1986 although registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in the state by some 200,000 voters. He said it is no secret that the party's last candidate for governor, Bill Curry, got tepid support from the Democratic establishment.

Maynard said he is appealing directly to voters who feel abandoned and forgotten and hopes the Democratic Party will join him in his “march to victory.”
<SNIP>

This is the political culture that infects Connecticut. Incumbants, regardless of talent, are guarded by the Parties like the crown jewels by other incumbants. The reason I decided to return to the Dem Party was to put myself in a position to help reform the Dem Party from the inside and support new Dems, like Maynard.

Maynard is not in my district. State Sen. Williams is my state senator and I can tell you first hand, Williams is an arrogant jerk. A couple years ago, we fought a plan to build a Walmart distribution center in our town. We won, but we also found out that State Sen. Williams supported the project even though he knew that we opposed it.

I wish Maynard best of luck. I'll send him some $ after I get paid next week.

[Tangledog]

1. Thanks

Thanks for posting that. I've paid little attention to that race, but he made some interesting and provocative comments. I can't believe that Williams guy denying something that had his name on it!

There was another article about Maynard, but the Day seems to be having trouble with their Web site, so I can't get a link. I'll try again tomorrow.