Democratic Candidates for Attorney General Address Area Democrats in Chester
By Charles Stannard
CHESTER–The three Democratic candidates for attorney general appeared together for the first time Wednesday at a forum for 33rd Senate district Democrats held at the Brush Mill restaurant on Route 148.
The attorney general candidates who addressed the gathering of Democrats from the 12-town 33rd State Senatorial district are Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz of Middletown, former Democratic party chair and former Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen of Ridgefield, and State Representative Cameron Staples of New Haven.
The nomination for attorney general is open this year for the first time in two decades as Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal runs for the U.S. Senate. Each of the candidates had confirmed runs for the attorney general nomination in the weeks since Blumenthal announced his candidacy for the Senate seat on Jan. 6, and the session Wednesday was the first time all three had appeared together before an audience of Democrats. Each candidate made a five-minute introductory statement and than answered questions at the informal forum.
Bysiewicz said she was the strongest potential nominee because she has already won three statewide elections for secretary of the state in 1998, 2002, and 2006, and has “executive and managerial experience,” running a large state agency. She did not directly address questions raised about whether she has the 10 years of active practice as a lawyer required by Connecticut law to serve as attorney general, but recounted her experience as a lawyer, state representative from 1992 to 1998, and as secretary of the state.
Jepsen and Staples made only indirect references to the issue of Bysiewicz’s legal experience. Jepsen said he has “broad legal credentials” from 26 years as a practicing attorney, along with service in the state House of Representatives and Senate. Staples, who co-chairs the Legislature’s Finance Committee with Daily, said he has two decades of experience as a practicing attorney. Both Jepsen and Staples said they would be “100 percent committed,” to the job of attorney general, and would not consider running for any other office, such as U.S. Senator in 2012, or governor in 2014.
All three candidates pledged to be an “activist attorney general” in the tradition established by Blumenthal. Each candidate said they would wage a primary for the nomination if they are not the candidate endorsed by the Democratic State Convention, while each also pledged to actively support the candidate who wins the nomination in the primary.
The Democratic State Convention is scheduled for May 21st and 22nd. Primaries for party nominations will be held on August 10.
