There are a lot of eyes on Bridgeport after a judge ordered a new Democratic mayoral primary, but the general election on Tuesday is still a go.
The Bridgeport city attorney tells us they are still considering all their legal options after losing this lawsuit and having the primary results overturned.
“The lawyers will handle that. It will be run in the courts. But what’s important for people to know is Tuesday is election day in the city of Bridgeport,” said Mayor Joe Ganim, D – Bridgeport.
Ganim won the primary, but challenger John Gomes then released video showing apparent mishandled ballots and successfully sued.
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“Hopefully through what has happened through the judicial system that people believe again,” Gomes said.
As for a possible new primary, the judge has given all the parties 10 days to come up with a plan. Gomes now hopes to win the general election as an Independent.
On Thursday, he and Ganim took part in a candidate conversation along with two other men who are running for mayor.
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“Bridgeport is my home. I want to bring my skills, my commitment and my drive to our city,” said Lamond Daniels, a petitioning candidate for Bridgeport mayor.
“What I’d like to do is to be the person that brings that change, that brings the, how should we say that, disparate viewpoints?” said David Herz, R – candidate for Bridgeport mayor.
We’re told an interim election monitor is in place to oversee how campaigns handle ballot applications. But they won’t have access to the drop box cameras.
“They don’t have time to watch hours and hours of footage. I am working with our legal staff to see if there is an opportunity for us to hire additional people,” Stephanie Thomas, D – Secretary of the State, said.
Thomas said her office is pushing for ways to strengthen the state’s election system including drop box surveillance.
One lawmaker doesn’t think the problems in Bridgeport are likely happening elsewhere and ideas to roll out cameras statewide need to work for everyone.
“Is it going to be mandatory? Are we going to put them every place? Or do we just need to put them in big cities where they have more than one actual drop box?” said Sen. Marilyn Moore, D – Bridgeport.
State Republicans say this episode confirms absentee ballots can be misused and they will continue to push reforms to restore voting integrity.
