Malloy's Big Margin, Dean's win and Foley-Fedele Squeaker Provide the Drama For Primary Night

No rest for the weary. As Tuesday day night veered into Wednesday morning, Dannel Malloy was enjoying a victory party at City Steam in Hartford  but also beginning to talk about the special session Friday, where lawmakers will attempt to override a gubernatorial veto and get Malloy an addition $3 million public campaign grant to replace money that was eliminated by a recent federal court decision. As things stand, Malloy will be limited to the regular $3 million grant and deprived of the supplement that would double his money. An hour or so after his victory, Malloy wanted to know if legislative leadership had the votes for the override. 

Heading into the primary vote, the polls said Malloy was behind but making it close; but on Tuesday night, the former Stamford mayor opened up a surprising 16 point lead over Ned Lamont and still held it at midnight as the Democratic gubernatorial nomination fell into his hands on the second try. For his Republican counterpart Tom Foley, the night was a more tense affair, with only three percentage points separating him from Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele as the night ended and Foley claimed victory. 

The other big surprise of the night was Martha Dean, a Republican attorney general candidate with strong conservative views on social issues and associations with both the NRA and the Tea Party movement.  Dean trounced her more moderate rival Ross Garber by a 60-40 ratio as the night ended. 

No statewide race had a winder spread than the 71-29 lead that healthcare advocate Kevin Lembo held over Michael Jarjura as voters appeared to reject negative campaigning by the Waterbury Mayor. 

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon easily won the night, although as midnight struck, her two challengers Rob Simmons and Peter Schiff had bled enough of the vote so that she could not quite crest 50 percent, locked for the moment at 49.