Foley Beats McKinney in GOP Governor Primary

By Barbara Heins

Greenwich businessman Tom Foley handily defeated his challenger, state Sen. John McKinney (R-28), in Tuesday’s primary and now he has the task of trying to defeat the man who denied him Connecticut’s governorship four years ago.

The 62-year-old Foley, who received votes from 57 percent of the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee Convention’s in May, was challenged for the top spot in November’s ballot by the 50-year-old McKinney. Foley, with Penny Bacchocihi, will now challenge Democratic incumbent Dannel Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman on the Nov. 4 ballot to see who will lead Connecticut for the next four years.

Foley and his camp were at the Villa Rosa Pontelandolfo Club in Waterbury, the city where he launched his gubernatorial campaign.

McKinney, an eight-term senator whose political life on the state scene will take at least temporary hiatus with Tuesday’s loss, lives in Fairfield with his three children. With his focus on the gubernatorial race, he is not seeking reelection to the state Senate seat he’s held since 1999. He was with his family and Lt. Governor candidate Dave Walker, a former U.S. Comptroller General, Tuesday night at the Local Kitchen & Beer Bar in Fairfield, where he made his concession speech.

Seventy-three percent of lieutenant governor ballots have been counted so far as of 9:30 p.m., according to the Associate Press.

According to NBC Connecticut, The Republican Governor’s Association quicky put out a statement, pledging its support.

“It’s time to put Tom Foley in the governor’s office,” said RGA Chairman Chris Christie. “Foley has the experience in both the public and private spheres which will help him promote policies that create jobs, attract business, and reboot Connecticut’s economy. Connecticut needs a leader and a problem solver, and those are roles Foley is uniquely equipped to fill. The Republican Governors Association is proud to support Tom Foley for governor.”

In a statement, Malloy said, “Elections are about choices, and the choice facing the people of Connecticut couldn’t be more clear: do we want to continue the progress that’s been made over the past three and a half years, or hire someone who will stop this progress dead in its tracks, make a sharp u-turn, and take us right back to the failed policies that drove us into the ditch Dan Malloy and Nancy Wyman have been digging us out of?”

Secretary of State Denise Merrill said that 400,000 registered Republicans and several Democrats were eligible to vote Tuesday in the party respective primaries.