State Sen. Ed Gomes, D-Bridgeport, lost Tuesday’s three-way primary for his 23rd District seat but has the option of continuing the fight as the Working Families Party’s candidate.
Gomes earned the third party’s endorsement and his name will appear on their ballot line in November’s general election unless he tells the Secretary of the State to remove it.
The Gomes campaign was not prepared to discuss that alternative before the polls closed Tuesday, when the candidate was still focused on defeating opponents Andres Ayala and Ernie Newton.
Ayala won, Gomes came in third.
On Wednesday I asked Gomes’ campaign manager, Marty Dunleavy, about the Working Families option.
Dunleavy would not say whether the candidate has made any decisions, but did add, “The forces that would be aligned against Ernie Newton, the vast majority of them will be supportive of Andres Ayala.”
Newton, Gomes’ predecessor, went to jail six years ago following a federal corruption probe that concluded he had abused his Senate office.
He was running a campaign of redemption, but many Democrats in the city and in the state Senate were concerned about the possibility of his return to the Capitol. Senate President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven and others visited Bridgeport Tuesday to campaign for Gomes.
So I could envision a scenario where Newton won the primary and the establishment chose to throw its support behind a Gomes’ third party run.
But Ayala, who has the support of Mayor Bill Finch, is not a controversial figure. And while Gomes’ supporters may be disappointed Ayala beat their man, those within the party mainstream are likely not going to be encouraging Gomes to continue his battle for his seat.