Thomas MacMillan Photos
Holder-Winfield.
Goldson.
It looks like New Haven may have a competitive election after all for a newly vacant State Senate seat.
Former West Rock Alder Darnell Goldson announced Friday that he will seek the 10 State Senate District seat as an “independent Democrat” — i.e. a petition candidate, not a party-endorsed candidate.
If he gathers to signatures to make the ballot, he will likely face Gary Holder-Winfield, who has already started running for the position. Holder-Winfield, a Democratic state representative, said he has put together a team and drawn up his papers to run for the seat, for which he’ll seek the nomination of the Democratic Party.
The seat became vacant this week when Toni Harp, who held it for the past 21 years resigned because of her new job as mayor of the city of New Haven.
The district covers about half of New Haven as well as part of West Haven. Holder-Winfield was the first candidate to emerge publicly for the seat. Democratic Town Chairman Jackie James originally took steps to run, then landed a job at City Hall instead.
The special election will take place Feb. 25, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Friday.
A Holder-Winfield — Goldson match-up would pit two politicians with independent backgrounds against each other.
First elected as a state representative in 2008 in an insurgent campaign against the party machine, Democrat Holder-Winfield has made a name for himself at the state Capitol on issues like the death penalty and school reform. Now he wants to bring that record to the Senate.
The top issue in this special election is experience, Holder-Winfield said in an interview.
“My campaign is based on a history of having demonstrated leadership and at the same time ability to work in a team,” he said. “Toni had been there for [21] years and had significant impact. We need somebody in that space who can get in, get moving, and do the job right away. It’s really about experience and being able to pick up where Toni left off.”
Holder-Winfield said he has begun phoning town committee members who will serve as delegates to a 10th District Democratic Party nominating convention for the special election. “Every call I’ve made so far has been positive,” he said.
Holder-Winfield ran for mayor earlier this year, then dropped out and endorsed Harp’s candidacy before the Democratic primary.
For this Senate campaign, Holder-Winfield said, he has engaged the services of consultant Patrick Romano of DNA Campaigns. He is not naming an official campaign manager.
In an interview Friday, Goldson said he feels he has the most experience in the race.
“I’ve been in this ward over 30 years. At every level I’ve worked behind the scenes and up front,” Goldson said. Besides serving as an alder, he worked on the staff of former U.S. Rep. Bruce Morrison, helped staff two state legislative committees, and served on several gubernatorial and U.S. Senate campaigns for candidates from different parties, including the campaign of Republican Senate hopeful Linda McMahon. (Read here about how his home was vandalized during that campaign.) He also joined a short-lived national independent-politics movement called “No Labels.”
Goldson pledged to raise no more than $1,000 in the raise. He said he won’t bother seeking the Democrats’ endorsement at the upcoming special-election convention. As a Democratic alder, he often ran afoul of party leaders by questioning official actions and dissenting from the majority.
“To me this isn’t a campaign of about getting endorsements from people or raising money from people. This is about grassroots democracy,” he said. “I’ve never felt comfortable getting the endorsement of the party. I don’t’ want to be beholden to special interests.”