http://www.boston.com/news/local/connec ... primaries/


Despite setbacks, Lieberman, DeStefano vow to win primaries
By Susan Haigh, AP
May 22, 2006

ROCKY HILL, Conn. -- U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday that he considers his Democratic nomination victory a sign of strong support for his candidacy and feels confident he will win a fourth term in the Senate.

Lieberman's comments came three days after wealthy Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, a political unknown a few months ago, managed to win 33 percent of the delegates at the state party convention -- more than twice the amount needed to force a primary on Aug. 8.

Meanwhile, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said he is confident about his chances to win the gubernatorial primary on the same day, despite his surprise, razor-thin loss of the Democratic nomination to Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy on Saturday.

"I felt great coming out of the convention, I really did," DeStefano said during a Capitol news conference on Monday. "As far as I'm concerned, our team did a great job and I'm standing on their shoulders."

Both Democrats spent the day trying to put a positive spin on their convention results and persuading voters that they still have the momentum needed to defeat their Democratic challengers in August and ultimately win in November.

"I begin this campaign with confidence. I begin the campaign with confidence because I think I know the minds and hearts of the people of Connecticut, after having the privilege to serve them in public office for more than three decades," Lieberman said.

Asked about Lamont's winning 33 percent of delegates and whether it was a sign that the party faithful in Connecticut may be tiring of Lieberman, the veteran senator said he'd take a 2-to-1 victory any day in any campaign in which he's involved.

Lieberman said he knows that some delegates voted for Lamont because they wanted to send him a message, either about their disappointment with his support for the war in Iraq or other issues, such as not attending their local town committee meetings.

But Lieberman, who held a news conference at his Rocky Hill campaign offices Monday, said he believes Democrats will ultimately rally together on issues such as energy independence for the nation, protecting pensions, creating good-paying jobs, protecting the environment and making health insurance affordable.

"I know that when we've stood up and fought together, we've been able to do great things," Lieberman said.

"I'm confident that they want as their senator somebody who has had the experience of growing up in this state, living lives that are like the lives that they have lived, who has had the experience of fighting for and winning for them for years and who knows how to work with other people to get the government to work for the people we serve," he added.

But Tom Swan, Lamont's campaign manager, said support for his candidate has only grown since Friday night's convention. The campaign has raised $50,000 since Friday over the Internet.

"We feel that if it had been a blind ballot, we would have won," Swan said of the convention vote. "We're very encouraged and feel we are in a strong position to energize the voters in Connecticut for change."

DeStefano said he believes his running mate, West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka, who appeared with DeStefano for the first time in public Monday, will help generate key support for the campaign.

He is also confident that the backing he has received from labor unions across the state, including the executive committee of the AFL-CIO, will help him win the primary in August. John Olsen, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said the union umbrella that represents 160,000 members has the ability to mobilize voters on primary day.

DeStefano estimates about 200,000 will be turning out on Aug. 8.

Christopher Cooney, Malloy's campaign manager, said Malloy also has the support of labor, including individual union members across Connecticut.

"Those folks are the ones who were also key in winning the Democratic convention on Saturday