As Trump preps for third run, Stefanowski focused on own campaign
As Donald Trump edges closes to another run for the presidency, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski is holding the former president at arm’s length while Gov. Ned Lamont unsurprisingly has no plans to support his campaign.
Sarah Clark, a spokeswoman for the Stefanowski campaign, declined to say recently if her candidate would back a third run for president by Trump, a fellow Republican.
“We are focused on our race and are not concerned with the presidential race,” Clark said. “We are not concerning ourselves with the 2024 election.”Jake Lewis, Lamont’s campaign spokesman, said the Democratic governor plans to “support the other guy” in the race for president, meaning the Democratic nominee.
The responses come after a recent New York Times report that stated Trump was expected to announce a third presidential campaign, possibly as soon as next week.
Trump endorsed Stefanowski four years ago when he ran for governor, eventually losing to Lamont. This time around, Stefanowski has not embraced the former president or his movement, opting instead to portray himself as a typical moderate Republican. Trump has not come to Connecticut to stump for Stefanowski. Instead, Trump’s focus on Connecticut candidates this cycle has been focused on Leora Levy, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate opposing Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Trump held a fundraiser for Levy at Mar-a-Lago and endorsed her in a call over the summer.
When recently asked about abortion rights and gun control, Stefanowski said he plans to uphold Connecticut’s existing laws. While he opposes vaccine mandates, he’s also spoken publicly about the importance of getting inoculated.
Lamont, a Democrat who holds a double-digit lead over Stefanowski in the polls, has never supported Trump or his “Make America Great Again” agenda. His campaign has tried to link Stefanowski to Trump and his policies, such as the former president’s opposition to abortion and gun controls. News reports on Friday indicated Trump may announce his 2024 candidacy during the week of Nov. 14. Aides for the potential candidate urged caution, however, and pointed out that details had not been finalized.
During a rally Thursday in Iowa, Trump teased his pending candidacy, saying he will “very, very, very probably” run again. He told the crowd to “get ready” but stopped short of an actual announcement.
Trump’s candidacy would come as the federal Justice Department continues to investigate his handling of classified documents and actions before and during the Jan. 6, 2020 insurgency at the U.S. Capitol. He also faces an investigation by Georgia prosecutors over his attempts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
A criminal tax fraud trial against the Trump Organization is now underway in New York City and Trump is fighting a civil lawsuit by New York’s attorney general alleging that he and his company manipulated real estate values to gain more favorable loan rates and pay lower taxes.