Independent Party: Stefanowski trying to ‘usurp’ control

Bob Stefanowski, the presumptive Republican candidate for governor in the upcoming election, is attempting to “usurp” control of a third party away from the party's leadership in order to obtain a second line on the ballot, party leaders said.

The Independent Party is the state's third-largest political party, with 31,015 registered members, according to data from the Secretary of the State's office.

A cross-endorsement from that party would mean Stefanowski's name would appear on the ballot twice, once as a Republican and also as a member of the Independent Party.

While the Independent Party did cross-endorse Stefanowski when he ran unsuccessfully against Gov. Ned Lamont in 2018, party chairman Mike Telesca said he is fighting to keep the integrity of the party.

“We have slowly built up the party,” he said. “We worked very very hard to develop the name ‘Independent,' to promote candidates who basically do not necessarily have access to the ballot.”

Of the 650,138 votes cast for Stefanowski

in 2018, only 4 percent — 25,388 votes — were cast on the Independent Party line.

Lamont also had a second ballot line in 2018, though it garnered an even smaller return. Of the 694,510 cast for Lamont, 17,861 were on the Working Families Party line, 2.57 percent of the total.

Lamont won the race by 3.2 percentage points, 49.4 percent of the total vote to Stefanowski's 46.2 percent. Oz Griebel, who has since died after being struck by a car in Pennsylvania, garnered 3.9 percent of the total vote.

Telesca said Lamont and Stefanowski have approached the party seeking a cross-endorsement.

“Both camps have reached out. Both have inquired about our caucus system,” Telesca said, replying to both parties that such decisions would be made by state committee members and decided at the party's convention.

“The Democrats have respected that. I've told them if for some reason we find ourselves without a candidate, we will open it up,” he said. “Bob Stefanowski, in particular, has not. He has said that's not fair to him, he wants access to my state central committee members to plead his case. He's finding out who they are and trying to pigeonhole them.”

Stefanowski said he's hoping to once again gain the party's endorsement, and expressed confidence in its chairman.

“I was honored to have the Independent Party endorsement last election and have received support from several senior party members this time around,” he said in a prepared statement. “I am confident my support within the party is strong, and I look forward to the same open process we had last time, and trust the chairman will keep it that way.”

But Telesca said it is an attempt to subvert the party. “What his plans are at this point is to garner enough support in the Independent Party to win the caucus.”

“The problem with minor parties is most of the people in minor parties are used to being ignored,” he said. “They can be easily swayed by vague promises.”

“Exactly what is a seat at the table?” he mused.

John Fahan, the Independent Party treasurer and formerly a Democratic member of Stamford's Board of Representatives, said he received a call from Stefanowski, though he said, “it was not a productive conversation.”

“I'm not interested in crossendorsing him,” Fahan said, though he confirmed that, “That was his intention.”

Though it's not yet official, Telesca and Fahan said they have a third-party candidate they are “excited” to endorse.

Rob Hotaling, from Cheshire, formally submitted paperwork last week to enter the race.

Hotaling said he's “a registered Independent Party member.”

“In my 20s, I was part of the Democratic Party,” he said. “In my late 30s, early 40s, I was part of the Republican Party.”

He said he'd “like the opportunity to present my ideas.”

“It's sad to me to see the limiting of options before I even get on the ballot,” Hotaling said. “That's part of the problem in politics.”

Hotaling said he'd rather see candidates “winning on ideas, not winning on backroom deals, if that's what's going on. That's unfair to voters.”

Born in East Africa, Hotaling grew up in Rhode Island. He said he does not have the personal resources of either Stefanowski or Lamont.

“All I can run on is my character, my ideas, my reputation,” he said. “I don't have $10 million in disposable income to go around calling folks.”

Though Hotaling is not yet the official Independent Party candidate — that will be decided at the party's nominating convention that has not yet been scheduled — Fahan said Hotaling is a “breath of fresh air, a problem-solver.”

“I'm excited about his prospects,” Fahan said of Hotaling. “He has a lot of new, fresh ideas.”

Telesca also said he does not want it to be perceived that the party he's led since 2003 is lock-step with Republicans.

“We want to run up the middle, offer people something different than the two major parties, which is two very rich white guys,” he said.

Telesca is also aware that his party does not necessarily draw from the right, and he wants to respect that diversity within his own party. He's trying to avoid “the reputation that we always crossendorse Republicans.”

“We pull equally from both sides of the political spectrum,” he said.