Chris Donovan speaks to supporters at campaign rally in Hartford late Wednesday afternoon. (Wes Duplantier/Courant)
Some of the top union leaders in Connecticut rallied outside a union-owned building in Hartford on Wednesday in support of Democrat Chris Donovan, whose Congressional campaign was thrown into turmoil last week with the arrest of his finance director.
The leaders included the two highest-ranking members of the state teachers’ unions, along with Sal Luciano, the leader of AFSCME Council 4. The crowd included Rick Melita, a longtime union supporter, campaign contributor to Donovan, and high-level policy analyst on Donovan’s staff at the state Capitol; Larry Dorman, the chief spokesman for AFSCME; Lori Pelletier of the state AFL-CIO, and others.
“I believe that today we were very much on message,” said Tom Swan, a well-known liberal Democrat who is now serving as Donovan’s new campaign manager. “Today, we clearly showed we will be able to” generate support.
After the rally ended, Donovan walked through the crowd shaking hands, followed closely from behind by his campaign spokesman. Donovan eventually circled around to an awaiting car, in the street, and was driven away without answering reporters’ questions.
Regarding the fallout of the FBI investigation on the August 14 Democratic primary, Luciano said, “I don’t know. For those people who know Chris, I don’t think it will have an impact.”
The unions have supported Donovan on union-related issues, and they were not involved in the “roll your own” tobacco legislation that is at the heart of the federal investigation into Donovan’s campaign.
“The smoke shop thing – we have no interest in it at all,” Luciano said of the unions.
Leo Canty, a longtime Democratic activist and one of the best-known union leaders in the state, said he expects that Donovan will rebound before the primary in the hot days of August.
“There’s always people and events that will trip you up,” Canty told Capitol Watch in an interview. “This is just a slight trip in this race. … This is a hiccup and a glitch.”
Since Donovan has worked for years for campaign finance reform and clean campaigns, Canty said he was angry that a member of Donovan’s campaign staff had been subjected to federal charges.
“That’s not him,” Canty said of Donovan. “He’s one of the biggest opponents of corruption in politics. I fully believe Chris is trying to do the right thing. … It really bothers me that this happened. It’s just so out of his nature.”
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15 Responses to Union Leaders Rally In Hartford For Embattled Chris Donovan In Congressional Race
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“He’s one of the biggest opponents of corruption in politics. I fully believe Chris is trying to do the right thing. … It really bothers me that this happened. It’s just so out of his nature.”
Famous political epitath #1.
Ever notice that many of Donovan’s supporters offer up lines that sound like they came from a script for a grade-B mobster movie?
If Donovan is an influence peddler, was have his fundraising numbers been so pathetic for a sitting Legislative leader? I mean for gosh sake, he got out raised by the other two, only because he is so clean.
And how come no questions about Roberti? His father is ranked as the 2nd most powerful behind-the-scenes guy in all of D.C. But to read the reporting, Dan is somehow a grassroots guy?
And then there were five honest politicians left in this race. If we choose the two tarnished candidates in the primary, we only have ourselves to blame.
Is there anyone anywhere that could even remotely be surprsed by this
What EEALLY needs to be done is follow Scott Walker and Wisconsin’s. Lead. But here in Connecticut, the chances of something like that actually happen would rank 10% less than CT repealing the state’s income tax…
Where was John Olsen?
“He’s one of the biggest opponents of corruption in politics.”
If that’s true, then why — for four years as Speaker & four years as Majority Leader — did he fail to advocate a return of subpoena power to the Chief State’s Attorney? One could conclude that despite the clean elections, pension revokation, etc.; there’s still no real investigative authority within the state government.
And even with the public funding… ignoring the situation in which a state legislator runs for Congress, we still have the revolving door when an elected official chooses to not run for reelection.
Returning subpoena power to the Chief State’s Attorney would, to some extent, mitigate the risk of corruption in both of those situations. Yet Donovan failed to restore subpoena power.
Why?
who would have thought he gets union support. He’s only a former union leader and has got tons of money from the unions of the years for his support of anything they wanted. A good reason the state is in such financial trouble
So, let me see – paid union organizers, i.e. the greatest beneficiaries of Speaker Donovan’s reign, took time out of their work day, likely paid time, to express support for him …. sounds like “quid pro quo” in action.
The idea that Donovan had no idea what his top campaign advisors were doing in his name is absurd. As it has been noted, Josh Nassi was not only a long time aide to Donovan, but a friend. He was a direct “conduit” between Donovan’s legislative office and the campaign. He would not go down this path without having some conversation with his boss.
The real chink in the armor is, as Kevin Rennie has reported, a top House Dem staffer was advocating just last week in closed door negotiations for NOT including the RYO language in the implementer. Senior legislative staff speak for their leaders and only take policy positions that have been discussed with and approved by their boss.
The fact that the feds may not have evidence that Donovan himself spoke to other legislators about the RYO bill is irrelevant. Remember, they won a conviction against former Republican Party Chairman Dick Foley for allegedly taking a bribe to help pass the interstate banking bill without any evidence he actually did anything to inflence the bill. They argued that, based on his inside information and knowledge of the process, he knew the bill was going to pass no matter what he did, so he took their money knowing he wouldn’t actually have to do anything. However, the promise or offer of support was enough.
Similarly, here Donovan would have known that a controversial Senate Bill would likely never make it to a vote in the House in a short session. Even if it did, given his control over the calendar, he could let the bill languish on the House Calendar without having to try to influence anyone else. Only when the issue came back for special session and became a topic of leadership discussions did he have to send his mouth piece in.
All it will take is one of his loyal staff members, whom he is more than happy to cut loose when it suits him, to talk, and he is toast.
A Democrat in the tank for big labor? I’m shocked….shocked I tell you…..
Me too!
Once again the union rears its ugly head in support of a politician….his days are numbered…
Wisconsin was a vote of Union Domination that is supported by the DEMS vs. the TAXPAYER, unlike CT where the taxpayer gets thrown under the bus time and time as the Courant and the Dems support the Unions, the rest of the country is changing. Wisconsin like CT had a $3.5 Billion dollar budget shortfall.
THe Tale of 2 Choices….Wisconsin cut back on Union benies, cut taxes, and proivate sector grew more jobs and they now have a surplus. WOW that worked GREAT!! CT’s Dannel and the DEMS proceeded to Tax, Tax and no cuts to the Unions (you know the Unions that send millions of our TAX dollars to the likes if Donovan and the rest of the Dems) the result is companies leaving CT taking the tax dollars they would have paid with them.
Tax the Rich and the guys at the Greenwich $9 Billion hedge fund moved out of CT to Florida, no income tax in FL ….how will CT get the money it needs from them? Since Dannel started his Sharred sacrifice, the middle class in CT are the losers…..Marlin Firearms after 141 years in CT moved to NY. Pfizer moved 1100 jobs to MA, Prat & Whitney time and time again moves jobs out of CT…..no taxes from them! Those left in CT must pay more and more. YES, the Death of the way the Dems do busineess with the Unions is happening in Wisconsin, California and RI but not in CT.
CT raised taxes Billions and is still Broke! and Jobs are fleeing CT! The current path is unsustianable!
“That’s not him,” Canty said of Donovan. “He’s one of the biggest opponents of corruption in politics. I fully believe Chris is trying to do the right thing. … It really bothers me that this happened. It’s just so out of his nature.” This statement makes me gag.
DUMP Donovan like we dumped Dodd