Connecticut Gov. Lamont receives third ballot line in November

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont received the endorsement Wednesday of a third political party, making him the first governor in more than a century to have three ballot lines.

Lamont scored a strategic political victory with the endorsement of the Griebel-Frank for CT Party, which was created by business executive Oz Griebel and attorney Monte Frank for their 2018 race for governor. Since the party gained more than 1% of the vote in 2018, it is entitled to have a line on the ballot for the 2022 election.

Besides being a Democrat, Lamont has also obtained the endorsement of the union-backed Working Families Party. With Griebel-Frank added, Lamont will have three ballot lines — meaning voters will see his name three times.

Former business executive Bob Stefanowski will have the Republican Party’s line, and he has filed a lawsuit to block Rob Hotaling of Cheshire from being the candidate on the Independent Party line. The civil case is still pending in Hartford and could go to trial Thursday and Friday.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz noted that no candidate for governor has had three separate ballot lines in the past 100 years.

“It reflects some broad-based support that Susan and I have,’’ Lamont told reporters Wednesday outside the state Capitol at the endorsement announcement. “Obviously, we are both Democrats and proud Democrats. ... We’ve tried to work across the aisle every chance we have and are strong believers in electoral reform, so you build a coalition and that’s how you govern. You just don’t do it by yourself, and I think that’s what this endorsement means, and that’s what I think the three endorsements mean.’’

While the minor parties are far less known than Republicans and Democrats, candidates actively seek their endorsements because thousands of voters cast ballots on those lines. Nearly 55,000 people voted on the Griebel line in 2018, while more than 17,000 voted for Lamont on the Working Families line. Stefanowski won more than 25,000 votes in 2018 on the Independent line — an important total in a race that he lost by about 44,000 votes.

The Independent Party has just 30,630 members, compared to more than 800,000 Democrats and more than 455,000 Republicans. While the Secretary of the State’s office reported Wednesday that there are only six registered members in the Griebel party, the party still maintains the ballot line because of Griebel’s performance in the 2018 governor’s election.

In Connecticut, Stefanowski has filed court papers to prevent Hotaling from being on the Independent line. Stefanowski lost in the battle for the Independent endorsement when the balloting ended in a tie, and the party chairman then broke the tie by voting in favor of Hotaling. Stefanowski is not seeking to have his own name on the ballot, but instead wants a Superior Court judge in Hartford to rule that Hotaling should not be on the ballot.

In a new court filing, a list of witnesses shows that Stefanowski, along with campaign manager Patrick Sasser and longtime political operative Bill Evans, are prepared to testify in a civil trial that could be held this week on Thursday and Friday.

Frank noted that the endorsement was based largely on support by Lamont and Bysiewicz for ranked choice voting, which means that voters cast ballots for their second and third choices in a contested race. Those choices can eventually be counted in the race as candidates seek an overall majority of the vote.

“Our endorsement is not based on left-right ideological issues but instead was premised on their commitment to the people of Connecticut to lead the charge to enact ranked choice voting and help restore our democracy,’' Frank said. “Governor Lamont has pledged to introduce a bill in the next legislative session for ranked choice voting in federal elections and to give municipalities the option of using it in single office races. We look forward to working alongside the governor to pass the bill.”

While unknown to many voters, ranked choice voting was used recently in Alaska, where former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin lost to a Democrat in a race for Congress.

“Sarah Palin said ‘I think ranked choice voting’s a little weird.’ It sorta took on a new credibility with me,” Lamont said. “I think it’s a lead worth taking, no question about it.”

Under questioning, Lamont said it was his first time publicly endorsing ranked choice voting.

The news conference was also attended by former U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Florida, a leader for voting reforms and the former leader of the Serve America Movement.

“Today is a great day for democracy reform in Connecticut,” Jolly said. “The commitment by the governor and lieutenant governor to introduce and support ranked choice voting legislation in Connecticut signals real, genuine progress. Also referred to as ‘instant runoff’, ranked choice voting empowers voters to express their preference regarding all candidates, creating more choice for the voter and greater viability for major and minor candidates to compete for election.”

Griebel, a giant in the Hartford business world, died from complications after being struck by a tractor trailer truck at a highway exit ramp off Interstate 80 in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, while jogging in July 2020. The truck had a green light and was exiting the highway as Griebel was jogging at an intersection at 5:25 a.m. in the morning twilight hours.

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com