Dan Malloy's night in Danbury

(cross post from Hat City Blog)


On Thursday night, I had the opportunity to meet Dan Malloy and his supporters as he opened his first regional office at Democratic Headquarters on 161 Main Street in Danbury.

An impressive crowd of approximately 60-70 from Danbury and the surrounding area stopped by and offered their support for the endorsed candidate of the Democratic Party for Governor. Malloy returned the favor by delivering an inspiration speech and reinforcing his belief that he has what it takes to beat New Haven Mayor John DeStefano in the Democratic primary in August and defeating Governor Rell in the general election in November.

As many recall, Danbury was on of the cities in Connecticut that help give Malloy the victory over DeStefano at the State Convention last month so it wasn't ironic that Malloy opened his first of many offices in Hat City. Also, given the fact that Danbury is one of the largest cities in lower Fairfield County and that the Democratic Headquarters in Danbury is open year round, it was a smart move for Malloy's campaign to step up shop in the area.

Although Malloy won the nomination, he still has his work cut out for himself against DeStefano and Rell. According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, Gov. Rell leads Malloy 65 to 22 percent. Also, according to the poll, if the primary was held today, Malloy would lose to DeStefano 46 percent to 35 percent. The most telling part of the poll is the number of undecided voters or people who don’t know enough about Malloy to offer an opinion. When asked to offer an opinion of Malloy, 79 percent of the people polled haven’t heard enough of him. If Malloy is to gain ground on Rell, it is critical for him to bring these numbers down which is his goal as we head into the summer.

While attending the grand opening, I was able to get some comments from supporter of Malloy including 5th District Director Joelle Schmitz, Danbury State Represenative and Deputy Speaker Bob Godfrey, and Danbury Democratic Town Committee Chairman Joe DaSilva (pictured left to right). I was able to bring back an inside view of Malloy's big night, comments from Malloy's supporters, and an interview with the man of the night, Dan Malloy himself.

You can view photos from the event by clicking here.

NOTE: These video file aren't small so do bother attempting to view them if you're not on a broadband connection. Also, if you're experiencing playback problems, pause the video and allow your computer some time to upload the file. Enjoy.

Video clip 1: Voters, volunteers, and local political leaders offer their viewpoint regarding Dan Malloy the man, and his crusade to defeat Gov. Rell.

Video clip 2: Highlights of Malloy's speech to his supporters and my one on one interview.


UPDATE: As a note, I do not (and will not) endorse Malloy or DeStefano and this post should not be seen as an endorsement but more of a inside look into a campaign. I've always gave these two candidates equal time as I think it's important for undecided voters to learn more about these two guys.

Rest assusred that I will be doing a piece on DeStefano (with all the trimmings) in the very near future.