I attended a forum in which first the AG candidates and then the SOTS candidates responded to 6 questions, then gave a closing statement. It wasn’t exactly a debate, but they did go head-to-head on a variety of key issues. In the end, however, I thought the debates boiled down to one issue – relevant experience.
Attorney General
The AG contest included Susan Bysiewicz and George Jepsen.
That’s Susan at a different event.
George Jepsen
Cam Staples did not attend.
Cam Staples
This was the closest contest on the experience issue. It was clear that George had far more experience as a practicing attorney, while Susan has far more experience running a major state agency. Which is more important (legal qualification issues aside)?
I’m a George Jepsen fan for other reasons, but I’ll rate this debate a tie.
Secretary of the State
The candidates:
and Gerald Garcia.
In this debate, as the former Mayor of West Hartford, Jonathan Harris was the clear winner on the relevant experience issue. He has managed a large bureaucracy, apparently quite successfully. Denise Merrill was clearly second. The other two were non-contenders.
