Former Bridgeport mayoral candidate Lamond Daniels has endorsed incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim for the general election.
Daniels said he did it to help unify the city.
“My goal is to help unify the Democratic Party, because I am a proud Democrat and to have a united front,” Daniels said.
Ganim praised Daniels’ endorsement, but it also prompted criticism from John Gomes’ campaign manager, Christine Bartlett-Josie, as a cynical ploy to gain personal favor with Ganim.
Ganim is running against two opponents, one of them being a former ally, John Gomes, who has refused calls to drop out.
Bartlett-Josie said Daniels’ endorsement means Daniels never seriously ran to change the city, but Ganim said the endorsement means the city is unifying behind his vision, even as he continues to face criticism for alleged absentee ballot fraud allegedly committed by his campaign volunteers.
Daniels admitted his endorsement could alienate some of his supporters, who backed his campaign based on calls for greater transparency and equitable economic development.
“That's a possibility. But I hope they see who I am as a person, what I stand for,” Daniels said.
Barltett-Joise said the endorsement is proof Daniels was never a serious candidate.
“Lamond Daniels sold out … at the end of the day, he endorsed the status quo, betrayed the people of Bridgeport, and we are left wondering was this a move to divide the anti-incumbent vote to secure another stolen election for Joe Ganim,” Bartlett-Josie said.
Daniels ran as a petitioning candidate during the original primary in September. But he was never able to gain much support within the city and finished in third place during the Jan. 23 primary, a re-do of the original September primary.
A state superior court judge tossed out the original results after finding alleged absentee ballot fraud committed by Ganim’s campaign volunteers.
Daniels said he isn’t sure if an endorsement would lead to him getting a job in Ganim’s administration, even as Bartlett-Josie said she believes Daniels was offered a position as a chief administrative officer.
Gomes used to work as an assistant chief administrative officer for the city.
“I don't know,” Daniels said. “Right now, today's today and the future is the future.”
Daniels said the endorsement is a way to help unify the city, but the city’s dueling campaigns have long since devolved into personal attacks, threats, and at times, violent incidents.
Tensions recently came to a head over the weekend, when a Ganim volunteer was arrested for allegedly assaulting a Gomes campaign volunteer.
Ganim pushed back by saying his volunteer, the daughter of City Councilmember Eneida Martinez, a Ganim supporter and one of the people alleged to have placed stacks of what appeared to be ballots in an absentee ballot box, was defending herself.
Daniels is asking his supporters to come support a unifying vision for Bridgeport; Joe Ganim’s one.
“This is just the beginning,” Daniels said. So let's work together today Bridgeport to advance the causes we value and hold dear, making our city work for everyone.”
