Now that Ned Lamont has chosen Mary Glassman to be his running mate, attention now turns to the other gubernatorial candidates.    Who will they choose?

First of all,  I think you’ll see all the candidates pick  women.    The last time an all male ticket was elected was 1986, also the last time a Democrat won the governorship.    

Often a candidate chooses someone who brings different strengths to the ticket, and geographic balance.  For Dan Malloy, selecting either Comptroller Nancy Wyman or Treasurer Denise Nappier would meet those requirements.   Both Wyman and Nappier have years of experience in state government, and they know the state budget better than most.   

Both women have also proven they can win a statewide election, something Lamont, Glassman and even Malloy haven’t done.   Wyman and Napper have won four straight statewide elections….in landslides, which has enhanced their name recognition tremendously.   They also bring geography to the mix.  Both are entrenched in the Hartford area and are routinely seen at charity and social  events in the capitol region.   

Nappier would also bring an historic element to the race.  She would be the first black on a major party ticket in our state.    It is unclear if Nappier or Wyman would be interested, although last year Wyman did consider running for governor.  

There are two other Democrats running for Lt. Governor besides the already spoken for Glassman:  Waterbury Mayor Mike Jarjura, and Kevin Lembo, the state health care advocate.

As for the Republicans, there is one candidate in the race right now, Avon businesswoman Lisa Wilson-Foley, who is already running commercials on television.     

 Will she be chosen by Lt. Governor Michael Fedele of Stamford or former ambassador Tom Foley of Greenwich?    Foley Wilson-Foley on bumper stickers?

Wilson-Foley’s Simsbury neighbor Oz Griebel  might choose someone from Fairfield County, perhaps State Senator Toni Boucher of Wilton, the assistant minority leader.  Boucher impressed viewers during an appearance on “Face the State” last year.   Boucher, like Glassman, has an Italian maiden name that could certainly be brought out for political purposes in a state loaded with Italian-Americans. 

Another possibility:  State representative Themis Klarides of Derby, the deputy House Republican leader.    State representative Penny Bacchiochi of Somers is another name I’ve heard mentioned among rising stars in the party. 

We should point out the way the primary rules are set up means the tickets aren’t set in stone until after the primary.   Running mates will not appear together on the primary ballot.   In 2006, John DeStefano won the primary, but his running mate, West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka, lost.   DeStefano ended up running with Dan Malloy’s running mate, Mary Glassman.

Of course, politicos like me love to speculate about these sorts of things.   The Hanging Shad’s Pat Scully had this to say about it last fall:

http://scullycommunications.com/sen-joan-hartley-as-dan-malloys-running-mate/