HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wasn’t quite ready Monday to throw his support behind his friend and former legal counsel, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
Malloy said the candidate he was absolutely prepared to support announced last week that she wasn’t running.
Malloy was referring to Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, 71, who decided to announce without any polling that she wasn’t going to run for the Democratic nomination for governor.
“I think I’ll watch the field take shape and I think I’ll leave it at that,” Malloy said Monday.
Bronin, who hasn’t formally entered the 2018 gubernatorial contest, said running for governor isn’t something he’d planned to do, but he’s heard from a lot of people around the state urging him to consider it.
“I’m going to think about it,” Bronin said.
Almost two years into his first term as Hartford’s mayor, Bronin said, “I can’t give you a specific time schedule,” for when he will make a decision.
However, if he plans to qualify for public financing the window is closing quickly.
“What’s important to me is making the right decision,” Bronin said.
As far as his work in Hartford, the Greenwich native said he thinks they’ve made tremendous progress in the city. But there’s a lot of work that needs to be done and it will require a governor who “shares that vision of the important role that cities play in economic development for our city and for our state,” Bronin said.
He said he won’t base his decision to run on who else has gotten into the race.
“I think you have to search your own heart,” Bronin said. “You have to consult and listen before you make that decision.”
There are already seven other Democratic candidates exploring or seeking the nomination. Many of them announced in April and have been talking to Democratic Town Committees throughout the state.
Bronin said he’s told Malloy he’s considering a run, but hasn’t asked for his support.
