GOP blasts Lamont in video
New digital ad spot criticizes governor’s handling of pandemic
In a digital ad that marks the first major volley of the 2022 campaign , the state Republican Party is ramping up its criticism of Gov. Ned Lamont’s handling of the pandemic.
The 30-second video, which launched on social media and was blasted out in an email on Monday, attacks the Democratic incumbent’s coronavirus policies.
“Ned Lamont’s response to COVID put Connecticut in danger,’’ the ad asserts.
The spot, produced by TAG Strategies, a Virginia-based digital marketing firm, says Lamont failed to procure COVID-19 test kits over the holiday season, after promising that they were on the way.
It also seeks to tie Lamont to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in disgrace in November after a barrage of sexual harassment allegations were levied against him.
“Clearly COVID is going to be an issue in the 2022 election,’’ said Ben Proto, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party. “We’re going to aggressively (pursue) the case against Gov. Lamont and do our best to convince Connecticut voters that there’s a better alternative.’’
Who that alternative is remains unclear. Ten months before Election Day, no major Republican candidate has officially entered the race, though Bob Stefanowski, the party’s 2018 nominee, and Themis Klarides, the former Republican leader in the Connecticut House of Representatives, both said they are considering runs.
Lamont, who announced in November that he is seeking a second term, is proud of his record, said his campaign manager, Dan Morrocco.
“This isn’t the first time the Republican Party has lied about Gov. Lamont and it won’t be the last,” Morrocco said.
“The governor is providing the strong, steady leadership, we need to keep schools open and the economy running - getting 1.8 million tests and 5 million masks into Connecticut in the last week alone,” he said. “Instead of lying about COVID to raise campaign money — the GOP should join Gov. Lamont in working to end this pandemic by promoting vaccines and boosters so we can continue to educate our children, grow our economy, and keep Connecticut moving forward.”
Last year, Lamont won praise for his handling of the coronavirus crisis, even from some Republicans.
But in recent weeks, the party
“Clearly COVID is going to be an issue in the 2022 election. We’re going to aggressively (pursue) the case against Gov. Lamont and do our best to convince Connecticut voters that there’s a better alternative.’’
— Ben Proto, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party
has ramped up its criticism, slamming him over everything from a digital vaccination card to his decision to seek an extension of executive powers that allow him to manage the pandemic without seeking approval of the legislature.
Proto says there are questions regarding an investment by a venture capital firm co-founded by the governor’s wife, Annie Lamont, in Sema4, which received state COVID-19 testing contracts. (The Sema4 contract posed no conflict of interest under state law on the part of the governor or first lady, according to written guidance provided to the Lamonts by the Office of State Ethics.)
Proto said Lamont bears responsibility for another snafu: his failure to procure the 3 million at-home rapid test kits and 6 million N95 masks that he had promised to hand out to residents before New Year’s Day.
“The governor, particularly in the recent past, has not been forthcoming with people of Connecticut,’’ Proto said.
The ad is the first salvo in what will be an aggressive campaign by the GOP, Proto said. “You’re going to see more stuff coming from Connecticut Republicans in the next couple of months,’’ he said.
Proto did not disclose the cost of the digital ad, but said it was not “tremendously expensive.”