Lamont launches emotional TV ad
Ned Lamont became the first candidate for governor to mention the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting in a campaign advertisement this year.
The new video, released Thursday, features Erica Lafferty-Garbatini talking about her mother, Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School who died when she lunged at the gunman and tried to stop his shooting spree.
In the ad, paid for by the Lamont campaign, LaffertyGarbatini says GOP nominee Bob Stefanowski would roll back the state’s gun laws to pre-Sandy Hook regulations.
Stefanowski addressed the new ad while speaking with reporters for two minutes before speaking to an invitation-only crowd of 85 people at the annual convention of the Connecticut Motor Transport Association in Meriden.
“That thing was a horrible tragedy,” Stefanowski said of the Newtown shooting. “For him to try to use that for political purposes is ... is ... he should be embarrassed. I think it shows his desperation. I think he’s watching the polls. He’s been maliciously misrepresenting my positions for weeks now. That one crosses the line. He should embarrassed with himself. I’ve got three daughters. I’m absolutely for school safety. That ad is insulting and he should pull it down.”
Reporters asked whether he would scale back the 2013 gun-safety laws that were enacted after the massacre, he declined to answer the question directly.
“I’ve been very focused on ... I’ve been very clear on this. School safety is number one. We have a mentalhealth issue. We need to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. We’ve got the mostrestrictive gun laws in the country. And for him to go up on TV and show that kind of ad is absolutely unacceptable.”
Stefanowski earned an “Aq” rating from the National Rifle Association, the highest grade an untested state candidate can get, based on his answers to a questionnaire about gun rights.
Lamont was endorsed this week by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit formed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that used to be called Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The organization advocates for gun control and against gun violence.
“Across the country, we’ve seen mass shooting after mass shooting, and heartbreak after heartbreak,” Lamont said in a statement. “The contrast on this issue, and in this race, is stark. While I believe in smart laws, my opponent believes in rolling back progress, expanding access to assault rifles, and cutting dollars for school safety, mental health support, and more. I’m proud to be endorsed by Everytown.”