Lamont secures AG’s endorsement

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen threw his support Monday behind Democrat Ned Lamont for governor.

“I’ve known Ned for decades now,” said Jepsen speaking to press at the Capitol. “He is a man of integrity. He’s intelligent. He brings both public service and private sector experience to the table.”

This year marks Greenwich businessman Lamont’s second run for governor. He fell to Dannel P. Malloy in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary.

If elected, Lamont said Monday first on his list will be passing “an honestly balanced budget where we stop borrowing from our future — that means education, that means transportation, that means a governor who gives people a sense of where this state is going over the next five years.”

Jepsen, who rarely seeks a press spotlight, said he will campaign for Lamont and hopes other Democrats will as well. In a crowded field of candidates, he emphasized Lamont’s preparedness as the primary reason for his endorsement.

“I know Ned is ready to step up and make the decisions that need to made in this state even at the risk of sacrificing his own future political career,” he said.

In 2006, Lamont defeated incumbent Joe Lieberman for the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat. Lieberman later beat him in the general election.

Self-financing his campaign, Lamont is chairman of media company Lamont Digital Systems and founded Campus Televideo, which sells video services to colleges.