State Sen. Antonietta “Toni” Boucher was supporting Republican Justin Bernier in the 5th Congressional District race, but not any more.
Republican Andrew Roraback’s campaign announced Monday that Boucher, a Republican from Wilton, will now support Roraback — a fellow state senator.
Boucher
“I am switching my support to Andrew because I know first-hand having served side by side with him how hard he will fight for Republican principles in Congress,” Boucher is quoted as saying in a press release issued by Roraback’s campaign.
When asked about Boucher’s change of heart, Jonathan Scott, Bernier’s spokesman, said Bernier’s campaign was surprised to hear the news.
“We had no idea that she had ever endorsed Justin,” he said, explaining that Roraback’s need to issue such a press release about the endorsement showed politics as usual and demonstrated a need for new representation.
Boucher said Monday that Bernier’s statement was childish and made her more certain she made the right decision.
“He’s had amnesia then on this,” she said of Bernier.
Boucher said Bernier asked for her support very early in the race before Roraback or Lisa Wilson-Foley were even candidates. She said she endorsed Bernier and even put her name on a fundraiser for him in New Canaan before asking Bernier to hold off using her name. When Wilson-Foley and Roraback entered the race, Boucher said she decided to step back and see the race take shape.
Now, she said she feels strongly that Roraback is the best candidate and decided to formally endorse him before the primary.
In his release, Roraback said it was an honor to be endorsed by Boucher.
“I am particularly grateful to have the backing of such a hard working and respected colleague,” he said.
Boucher is the second Republican in recent weeks to switch her endorsement and back Roraback. Roxbury First Selectman Barbara Henry threw her support behind Roraback in late June. Previously, she had supported Wilson-Foley. She had even co-chaired Wilson-Foley’s campaign.
A fourth Republican is also running for the 5th District seat: Mark Greenberg. Greenberg will face Wilson-Foley, Bernier and Roraback in a primary on Aug. 14. Roraback is the party’s convention-endorsed candidate. The nominee will be chosen by the voters in the primary.
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12 Responses to Sen. Boucher Changes 5th District Endorsement; Backs Roraback
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I have followed the endorsements pretty closely and do not remember her endorsing Justin Bernier. I am pretty sure Mr. Bernier would have sent out a press release if she did -OR- it would have been reported somewhere. Can you please post a link to her previous endorsement of Mr. Bernier to show it is not just a ‘game’ from the Roraback campaign?
The state senator club is a group of CT’s most self serving “flash in the pan” politicians. It figures yet another one would back a guaranteed loser. The rest of the candidate’s supporters are so fed up with Roraback that it is going to be a cake walk for Donovan to beat him. I’m sure his FEC filings will show a lot of democrats are donating to Roraback so he can come out of the primary depleted and broke just as Sam and Capiello did and lose to the dems.
Connecticut voters are idiots if they nominate someone who thinks the winning strategy is to use all his money in the primary to win and then expect a different result. There will be no rally around Roraback because there is no difference between him and Donovan. Both are dems. Even if there is another republican tidal wave, Roraback will miss it. They called me looking for money and all I could think of is Roraback isn’t putting in any of his own, why should I use mine?
I hope his lobbyist and state senate buddies can donate plenty because no real republicans will. A candidate who cannot invest in his own campaign in his fifties speaks to his lack of success in the private sector. He married well, but even his wife and mother in law won’t finance the campaign.
Dumb republicans look to squander yet another opportunity!
This is news? Is this relevant? One RINO supporting another country club, resume building, “backbencher” from state goverment is nothing new for any race here. Birds of a feather.
Amnesia?
Bernier is the only candidate for the district with authentic conservative economic ideas that will work to put CT back on its feet. Right now that economy is face down with a feeble pulse.
Check the details of his record- clean and he has the energy of a young man and father to burn! Exactly what the 5th needs! Plus, he is the only candidate in the field who’s a vet.
b2
Bernier is the only conservative in the race who has NO RESOURCES. Let’s not forget Mark Greenberg, who has been consistently conservative on ALL issues (Bernier only announced being pro-life a few months ago) since the 2010 campaign.
Greenberg = Bernier + the funds to compete with the Dems.
Now that Bernier’s staff is done commenting, how is this a “game” by the Roraback campaign? The fact that she went from supporting Bernier to now supporting Roraback is plain fact. And to think that Roraback is the least electable Republican in the race is just plain delusional. We live in a blue state. The last time I checked, Roraback was a fiscal conservative as well. The only difference is he’s not a tea party luny who is afraid to compromise and can actually get things accomplished in Washington. Bernier has made a career out of losing elections, and something tells me this won’t be any different.
What is so “luny,” as you put it, about the Tea Party, its members, supporters and admirers? They are ordinary people who are fed up with the boundless growth of our bureaucracy, its unions and the special interests that feed off of them. It is elitists like yourself who have become part of the problem in this “blue state,” again, as you put it.
I have no problem with compromise. But the problem with the liberal media and enablers such as yourself is that your idea of compromise is when conservatives cave to the liberal point of view. Reagan compromised once, as did Bush 41. Both were burned by it.
We don’t need tax increases. We need a total re-working of the tax code. I have no problem with having two or three brackets in the individual tax (throwing out of most of the perks in the code today), but we need a structure where the corporate tax is at a minimum, encouraging corporations to stay within our borders.
We’re willing to listen, but first the left have to show THEIR willingness to compromise when it comes to wasteful spending.
Please provide any evidence that Boucher was a Bernier supporter prior to the release by Roraback saying she was. Bernier put out endorsements continually over the past two years and to think he would have ‘forgotten’ to list a popular State Senator from an area of the state he needs to win would shock me. A press release, news article, email, or any other form will suffice.
Dropkick,
Let me understand this. You say that Greenburg is more attractive than Bernier because he has more money? Y.G.B.S.M. They have roughly the same on hand (~$700K- see other news), except Greenburg’s chest contains 80% of his own money and Bernier’s contains less than 5% of his own. Bernier needs to work harder to fundraise. Doesn’t that prove something to you?
HonestH,
Some comments:
- CT is a blue state because you only nominate RINOs there. Expect 2nd place if that is all you shoot for. Bernier is an actual conservative Republican- do the right thing.
- Compromise? Too much of that bt CT republicans is why CT is in dire economic straights. You can’t compromise with the dems on fiscal economic policy- they just tax and spend.
- Re Roraback as fiscal conservative- check his record at the state level. He’s voted for just about every state tax increase CT “enjoys” today. His record would enviable if he had been a democrat!
- Re “losing elections” (plural) first off. What do you mean? Who’s delusional here. This is his second if I am correct. You make him sound like Pat Paulsen.
Bernier is the best choice for republicans in the district, especially this year. Go back in time. This is like 1979, even worse. Here is your chance to change the status quo. A classic shootout in November Young Gun Bernier vs. Old Laborite Donovan. A clear-cut choice.
None of the other republican candidates in the field match up.
B2
I’m just itching to see Bernier’s next Form 3, to see if your boast about his cash on hand is even in the same zip code as Realityville.
Or are you playing Justin’s game of looking at “cash net of debt?” That statistic is totally irrelevant when the “debt” is mostly to the candidate himself.
Badbob,
I just checked the FEC website. Greenberg has $760k on hand and Bernier HAD $172k on hand as of April 28th, which may go lower after his loss at the convention (after his camp predicted a win). The democrat Esty has around $900K on hand and she lost the convention. Bernier is not even in the game this time around, period!
Those who constantly beat the defeatist drum claim that Connecticut is a blue state. That’s why Republican governors won landslide victories?
Connecticut is the Stupid State! When the voters smarten-up, the state will go back to its traditional balanced format. The next time a proposal for Initiative and Referendum surfaces, don’t let the unions sink it. Connecticut’s voters would vote to phase-out the state income tax – in a heartbeat!
Utterly irrelevent article. Who cares if she prefers Roraback or Bernier? Anyone paying attention knows that Greenberg is the odds on favorite.