Raucous campaign leaves voters skeptical October 27, 2010

By Ruthie Thomas NEW LONDON- Feverishly chanting for one of the two U.S. Senate hopefuls they would soon hear, members of a crowd of about 200 spilled from the sidewalks onto State Street in front of the Garde Arts Center. A group of labor union members carried signs that read “don’t cut my minimum wage”, [...]

Third-party candidate struggles October 27, 2010

By Stephen Hamel NEW HAVEN, Conn.—The struggle for name recognition has been an uphill battle for U.S. Senate candidate John Mertens of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party. “We always expected it to be tough to get equal time,” Mertens said.  “But to be honest I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it has [...]

Gubernatorial candidates on education October 27, 2010

By Caitlin Emma Connecticut gubernatorial candidates offered different ideas this fall for an ailing public school system in a state that lost President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top challenge and continues to face a wide achievement gap. The disparity between Connecticut’s white and minority students and wealthier and poorer students is one of the [...]

Near UConn, student candidates October 27, 2010

By Michael Brown MANSFIELD – A clear divide between youth and experience was apparent when the four candidates for the General Assembly’s 54th Representative District squared off recently at E.O. Smith High School during the 2010 Mansfield Candidate Night hosted by the League of Women Voters. Jason Ortiz and Brien Buckman are both University of [...]

Education first for some in Enfield October 26, 2010

By Amber Reynolds ENFIELD – Residents who attended a recent Enfield Youth Vote debate at Enrico Fermi High School here said they need a state senator who demonstrates a strong support for education. Students, parents and other residents attended as incumbent Republican Sen. John A. Kissel and Democratic Rep. Karen Jarmoc exchanged words about their [...]

Painting the town red? October 25, 2010

By Valeria Lacourciere NEW BRITAIN – Despite having a website, Twitter and Facebook accounts, Republican Cris Carillo also employs old-fashioned campaigning methods. He walks through neighborhoods knocking on people’s doors, a satchel filled with fliers hanging off his shoulder. To those who open their door, he makes his pitch. If no one is home, he [...]

Ortiz: youth is an asset in campaign October 24, 2010

By Garrett Gianneschi MANSFIELD – On Nov. 2 Jason Ortiz, 27, may become the youngest representative in Connecticut’s General Assembly. He is competing for a seat in the 54th Assembly District. “I’m proud to be a young candidate,” Ortiz said recently as he was driving home from the University of Connecticut. He is an 8th-semester [...]