Eager to convince fellow Republicans that the party apparatus is coalescing around his congressional candidacy, former state Sen. Dan Debicella, of Shelton, has locked up the endorsement of former Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele.
“Dan Debicella has the right ideas to get Washington back on track,” Fedele said in a statement issued Monday by Debicella’s campaign. “Throughout his business career and during his time in the state Senate, Dan has been a proven problem solver who can get us out of this mess in Washington and help turn things around for Connecticut.”
A self-made millionaire who immigrated to Stamford from Italy at age 3, Fedele served as the second-in-command to Gov. M. Jodi Rell from 2007 to 2011 after a decade in the General Assembly.
But Fedele’s return to politics was derailed last November, when he lost the most expensive mayoral race in Stamford’s history to Democrat David Martin by just over 6 percentage points.
“Governor Fedele’s support means a great deal to me,” Debicella said in a statement. “He has worked tireless for both the city of Stamford and the state of Connecticut. I thank him for his endorsement.”
Debicella is seeking to avenge his loss in the 2010 general election to incumbent Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., who was a freshman at the time and has since gone on to win a third term by 20 percentage points in 2012.
In addition to Debicella, three other Republicans are seeking the GOP nomination in the 4th District, which includes most of Fairfield County and a sliver of New Haven County.
They are state Rep. John Shaban, who practices law in Greenwich and represents Redding; retired Navy SEAL Carl Higbie, of Greenwich; and Dr. Joe Bentivegna, of Fairfield, who has an ophthalmology practice in Rocky Hill.