Sign falls during opening of DeStefano Hartford officeWhile Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy may have received the Democratic endorsement going into the August primary, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano hasn’t let the 4-vote defeat stop his campaign from moving forward. The two Democratic mayors are vying for a shot at challenging Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell in November.
Since DeStefano lost the delegate endorsement May 20, his campaign has been relentless in its attempt to attract media attention by holding numerous press conferences on everything from healthcare to labor support. Malloy has remained virtually out of sight since his May 20 victory. However, he did breeze through West Hartford Center with running mate, Mary Glassman, on May 24, but since then his campaign has not sent out a single press release.
Malloy and Glassman, courtesy of the Malloy campaign web siteAside from press releases, DeStefano’s campaign took a conrete step forward in Hartford last Thursday, when West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka—DeStefano’s running mate—opened their Hartford campaign office.
Deputy Speaker Chris Donovan and SlifkaThe office is located at 901 Main St, across the street from Capitol Community College and the Residence Inn. Slifka’s remarks were drowned out by the CT Transit Bus, but he managed to get a few out before he next bus pulled up to the stop. “The bus stops here … We’re bringing the campaign to the people,” Slifka said. After the bus pulled away, state Rep. Minnie Gonzalez pulled up in her maroon sport utility vehicle. Apparently, Gonzalez was supposed to attend the event, but couldn’t find a place to park. 
Gonzalez driving awayBut despite numerous attempts to find media attention, DeStefano still couldn’t make headlines Tuesday, May 29, while Malloy did. Even though Malloy’s campaign has not sent out a press release since a few days before and after the convention, Malloy and his running mate were featured in three articles Tuesday, May 29, one by the Associated Press, one by the Stamford Advocate, and one by the New Britain Herald.Will this hands-off approach continue to work for Malloy’s campaign or will DeStefano’s media frenzy pay dividends in August? Too soon to tell.
