Votes for Griebel could harm others
Some see his bid hurting Stefanowski campaign
About 85 trucking company executives and drivers were gathered recently in a Meriden hotel for their annual meeting.
Earlier, they had applauded a brief appearance by Bob Stefanowski, the Republican candidate for governor who opposes highway tolls, which his opponents say should be implemented to fund Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure needs.
Later, the truckers — all members of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut — were asked for a show of hands from those who had heard of Richard “Oz” Griebel, the unaffiliated candidate for governor. About a half dozen arms were held into the air.
In a nutshell, that is the big problem for Griebel, 69, a former banker and Hartford area business leader who ran for governor as a Republican in 2010 and lost in the party primary.
Although he is underfinanced, under- recognized and unlikely to win on Nov. 6, Griebel may get more than the usual 1 percent support third- party candidates get from Connecticut voters.
But from whom will Griebel take away votes, Stefanowski or Democrat Ned Lamont?
Judging by the recent attack ads that the Stefanowski team has leveled at Griebel, Republicans seem to fear that a good showing from Griebel could sink the former corporate executive’s first run for elective office. One ad features Griebel’s face, with Lamont slowly emerging in the background.
In the debates, Lamont has referred to Griebel as a Republican.
Disrupting the two- party system
“At the end of the day, Oz knows he’s not going to win,” said J. R. Romano, Republican state chairman. “He’s upset from 2010. He ran a bad campaign then and now he’s on a mission to be a spoiler. This is an exercise in ego.
“When asked the question how he’s going to win, he doesn’t give an answer because he knows he doesn’t have what it takes to win,” Romano said. “A vote for Oz is a vote for Ned.”
“That’s a pathetic comment,” Griebel said Friday, stressing that he expects to win the election. “These guys are desperate. They’re spreading lies on Twitter. They’re panicked and that’s why they’re lashing out. No one paid attention to us three weeks ago. These idiotic, simplistic statements that insult the electorate show how panicked they are.”
Nick Balletto, the Democratic state chairman, said Griebel and Stefanowski are birds of a political feather.
“It’s so clear that with an ‘ A’ from the NRA, giving an ‘ A’ to Trump for job performance, taking antivaccination positions for kids, for running a payday loan company, and a plan to decimate health care and education, Bob Stefanowski is too extreme for Connecticut,” Belletto said.
“Oz has been a Republican for decades,” he said. “Every vote is going to matter, and we cannot allow someone who’s been endorsed by Trump and who celebrates Trump’s support to win this election.”
“Stefanowski has framed himself as very Trumplike,” said Gayle Alberda, a Fairfield University political scientist, who said that most polls show that Griebel gets higher approval ratings among Republican voters than among Democrats.
“This could give Lamont a slight edge, similar to Ross Perot, who took votes away from ( President George H. W.) Bush for Bill Clinton” in the 1992 presidential election, Alberda said.
“When it comes down to it, even Democrats who are disenchanted with ( Gov. Dannel) Malloy, might be fired- up with anti- Trump positioning and vote for Lamont,” Alberda said. “Republicans who are not necessarily supportive of Trump might throw their ballots to Oz.”
In particular, Republican women voters, in reaction to the recent controversial U. S. Supreme Court hearings, might view Griebel, the longtime president of the MetroHartford Alliance of regional businesses, as a better choice, she said.
Debates offer higher profile
Gary L. Rose, professor and chairman of the Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies at Sacred Heart University, said Griebel’s recent appearances on the debate stage with Lamont and Stefanowski leave the impression that he can take votes away from the Democrat.
Both favor highway tolls, with Lamont wanting to limit it to trucks, while Griebel, former head of the state Transportation Strategy Board, says that more extensive tolling is the only way to raise the revenue needed to upgrade state highways.
“I think Oz’s support is largely in Hartford County, and I see him as more of a regional candidate who really hasn’t broadened his base into Fairfield County,” Rose said, noting that polls have Lamont and Stefanowski very close, with the Democrat slightly ahead.
“They don’t like to be called spoilers,” Rose said. “The reality is Oz is a player affecting the outcome.”
“Oz seems to be the adult in the room,” said Rich Hanley, a journalism professor at Quinnipiac University. “He’ll get votes from people sickened by the negative ads and promises of Nirvana in Connecticut, as the candidates from both major parties promise. Oz has the leadership and experience that the others seem to lack.”