Connecticut woke up to the promise of good weather, but no promises about who's going to run the state for the next four years as another tight governor's election got underway Tuesday.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. from Enfield to Greenwich to Guilford to Goshen. There were reports of problems at polls in Hartford, where election workers were missing voter lists, according to Av Harris, spokesman for Secretary of State Denise W. Merrill.
The lists were missing from at least a few of some two dozen voting places in the capital city; they should have been prepared and ready to go ahead of time, he said.
"I don't know how many polling places were affected," he said. Having the voter lists ready "really, really must be done before the election," Harris said. "This is Election 101."
Although it's up to the individual cities and towns to run their polling places, the Secretary of State's is ready to help if assistance is needed, he said.
At the United Methodist Church on Whitney Street, voting lists didn't show up until 7 a.m., said moderator Nathaniel Jenkins. He said the problem happened all over the city.
Election workers explained the problem to voters, Jenkins said, and "Some people left, some said they would stay."
On Monday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Republican Tom Foley raced across the state at a breakneck pace as they tried to reach as many voters as possible to grab any advantage in a dead-heat governor's race that will be decided by the election.
Foley, riding in a large bus with his picture emblazoned on the side, made stops in Middletown, Vernon, and New London before heading north to Windsor Locks for a final rally with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Christie has poured nearly $5.5 million into the race with numerous television commercials against Malloy. In his fifth trip to the state since mid-July, he called on Foley supporters Monday night to get out the vote.
Too Close To Call In Final Poll
Malloy rallied the Democratic troops in West Hartford, Farmington, Bridgeport and New Haven before leading a campaign-closing rally in his hometown of Stamford. He stumped with top Democrats at New Haven's Bella Vista senior housing complex, known as a must stop for Democrats during the final days before the election.
Both sides are working overtime to get out the vote in a nail-biter campaign in which the latest Quinnipiac University poll showed Malloy ahead by 3 percentage points, just inside a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. Foley said his campaign has been making 60,000 calls a day in the last several days of the campaign and more than 600,000 calls overall. The Democrats had even higher totals, saying they made 600,000 to 700,000 live phone calls last weekend alone.
Christie fired up the crowd at Bobby Valentine's sports bar in Windsor Locks, asking Republicans to contact their friends in a blue state.
"We're not asking you to do much in 24 hours everybody,'' Christie said. "This isn't like hanging from your thumbs or something. This isn't hard. This is just doing that bit that you can do. … You remember how close this was four years ago — heartbreakingly close.''
Christie continued: "I hope it's a 4-, 5-point win. We call this baby early. We start drinking early — but don't count on it. … You can do this in 24 hours. That's the way it happens in blue states, everybody.''
He was lamenting Foley's loss in 2010 by 6,400 votes, which translates into about half of one percentage point. That year, Malloy scored huge victories in cities like New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford.
More Attacks, But First A Hug
Meanwhile, Democrats energized their troops in a similar way at the Bella Vista senior housing complex, known for high voter turnout for Democrats. A Who's Who of top Democrats turned out, including U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, state Comptroller Kevin Lembo, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of New Haven. As Malloy was introduced, the organ player belted out a rendition of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow.''
After ticking off a list of his accomplishments to the supportive crowd, Malloy said: "All of that can be undone … if the wrong governor gets elected. … That's why you have to do what you do election after election after election, and have 90 percent of the voters in these buildings come out and vote … and stand with us and make sure no one takes back what we have already built together.''
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp drew cheers from the senior citizens when she asked, "Are you going to be my Democratic warriors tomorrow?''
'Rock 'Em' Radio Debate
The final full day of campaigning started for both candidates in Milford in a mini-debate on the popular Chaz and AJ radio show broadcast on several stations. The fast-paced radio conversation, which had more in common with a Twitter exchange than an actual debate, touched upon many of the themes the candidates have been hammering throughout the campaign: taxes, the economy and the state budget.
Before the mud started flying, the two candidates engaged in a "brotherly hug" at the urging of the radio hosts. Malloy and Foley were sitting only a few feet from each other in the studio, and they disagreed on virtually every issue — starting with the first question regarding the number of jobs that have been created in the state over the past four years.
Malloy was asked if he takes responsibility for Connecticut's "dismal" economy.
"I take responsibility for Connecticut's economy,'' the Democrat said. "We've created 70,000 private-sector jobs. … We've seen companies move their operations to the state."
Foley disagreed, saying many of those jobs are lower-paying and include some going to workers who live outside the state.
Foley was once again asked about his business record. He had no federal tax liability for three years, according to federal income tax returns he permitted reporters to look at. He said that is because he had no income during that time.
"I paid $2.5 million to Connecticut in the last 10 years,'' Foley said. "I have income in some years and not others. In the years that you don't have income, you don't have to pay income taxes. That's the way it works."
Malloy said Foley has been dodging questions about his taxes. "A guy who's running as a successful businessman hasn't had income in three years,'' Malloy said.
When asked if they would raise taxes, Malloy said, "No.'' Foley responded, "Absolutely not.''
Regarding whether they would cut the state workforce, Foley offered a flat "no."
Malloy noted the number of state employees has already shrunk by 1,000 since he was sworn in in 2011.
"If we need to downsize, if it makes sense, we'll do that. But I have no plans to do that,'' he said. "We have no plans to eliminate any further workers. We honor our contracts, and I stand by them."
To that, Foley responded: "That sounded a little scary to me. It sounds like he's planning to cut the state workforce." He urged state employees to "listen carefully" to Malloy's words.
Malloy said there will be no layoffs. But he added, "There's always the possibility that the use of technology will allow us to do things more effectively."
For the perhaps the first time, each candidate was publicly asked if they had any health issues that would preclude them from finishing up a four-year term. They each said no.
Each candidate was asked to reflect on the closeness of the contest.
"We are ending up where we were four years ago,'' Malloy said. "Remember, I was the first Democrat elected in 20 years. ... We are a blue state, but when it comes to governors, we've had more Republican governors than Democrats."
Foley was asked why he is not further ahead in the polls, given Malloy's high unfavorability rating.
"Democrats have a registration advantage in Connecticut,'' Foley said, referring to the registration numbers that show 300,000 more Democrats than Republicans. "And he's an incumbent. And he's spent, I don't know, $6 million in negative advertising on me, saying things that simply aren't true. Listen, I stop at the truth. This governor doesn't."
At the end of the debate, as is their custom on the radio, the candidates played "Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots.'' Malloy won.
While Malloy and Foley have generated the most attention, petitioning candidate Joseph Visconti is still on the ballot. Despite announcing publicly Sunday that he was withdrawing from the race and endorsing Foley, any votes for Visconti will still be counted because he did not file an official letter of withdrawal, officials said.
"If a candidate withdraws and it is too late to reprint ballots, then the candidate's name can be blacked out or covered over with a sticker on the ballot. Also, the machines can be programmed not to accept any votes for that candidate," Av Harris, communications chief for Denise Merrill, the Secretary of the State, said in an email.
Local officials have been advised that Visconti's name "must remain on the ballot'' Tuesday, according to Harris.
Malloy In West Hartford
In West Hartford on Monday, Malloy energized the campaign volunteers in an appearance with state Sen. Beth Bye, West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka, state tax commissioner Kevin B. Sullivan, and others.
"I truly believe that all's we have to do is get our voters to vote tomorrow, and we're OK,'' Malloy told the group, which welcomed him with enthusiastic chants of "four more years!"
The Democrats have a complex, data-driven, get-out-the-vote operation that allows them to target voters with calls and other reminders.
"We have a robust field operation in cities and outside of them,'' party spokesman Devon Puglia said.
Puglia provided few details, but said the party has made between 600,000 and 700,000 live telephone calls over the weekend. Also, the party is dispatching about 10,000 volunteers working across the state on Election Day to get out the vote. That includes about 700 people working in the key Democratic city of New Haven, including about 30 lawyers who range from veteran attorneys taking the day off from work to young Yale Law School students who are Democrats.
Foley In Middletown, Vernon
Foley spent the final morning campaign traveling around Connecticut on his luxury "New Direction" campaign bus, stopping in at diners and delis to shake hands with customers and ask for their votes. He told one senior citizen at Ford's diner in Middletown that he would repeal the state income tax on Social Security — a promise made late in the campaign, in a debate Sunday. Democrats say the policy would disproportionately benefit wealthy retirees.
Brett Bryant, 44, was eating at O'Rourkes diner in Middletown and said he appreciated seeing Foley stop in and shake hands. As of Monday morning, Bryant said, he was still undecided. But "he told me to go out and vote so I will," said Bryant, who said he would vote for Foley.
Later, at Rein's Deli in Vernon, Tim Phelps said he had just told Foley that he was voting for Malloy.
"I'm a union member, and we're supporting Malloy," Phelps, 56, said, adding that he does "not always" vote for the candidate endorsed by the union.
After leaving the deli, Foley said, "I just talked to seven state troopers in there who said they're for me and disagree with their union leadership and said 'Tom, we're voting for you, we're not following the guidance of our unions.' "
Courant staff writers David Moran, Christopher Keating, Daniela Altimari and Jenny Wilson contributed to this story.