Governor's race tightens as primary day arrives

NEW HAVEN, Conn. --Voters went to the polls Tuesday to choose between two Democratic mayors who collectively raised a record $8 million for the right to challenge incumbent Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell in November's general election.

The race between Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano has become increasingly contentious as it tightened in the days leading up to Tuesday's primary.

State officials predicted 45 percent to 50 percent turnout in the primary, with much of the attention drawn to the U.S. Senate primary between incumbent Joe Lieberman and challenger Ned Lamont. That left DeStefano and Malloy's campaigns scrambling for attention as the primary approached.

"Honestly, I think either one of these guys is going to lose to Jodi Rell so when it comes to voting, I'm actually going to vote for the Green (Party)," said Reiner Beckmann of Norwich, who voted for DeStefano. "Either one of those guys is going to lose to Rell, the writing is on the wall."

The candidates traveled to polling sites around the state in their final effort to capture votes.

"It's all retail politics at this point," said Chris Cooney, Malloy's campaign manager. "It's always great to see people's reaction when they actually see the candidate."

Malloy, who joked that he would stop if he saw a garage door opened, said his campaign had more than 1,000 field workers.

"I'm very happy and very hopeful. But you don't know until the ballots are cast," Malloy said.

Cooney said voter turnout appeared high in Stamford and other Fairfield County towns. That could boost Malloy's prospects, he said.

DeStefano's campaign strategy involved intensive voter identification efforts, including having union supporters call fellow members.

"I feel terrific about this," DeStefano said. "I think we're going to have a good solid win."

Both mayors touted their records in reviving the cities they have led since the mid-1990s. Both also outlined plans for universal health care and promised to create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

"I went with Malloy based on the success he had in the city of Stamford," said Jim Cotter, a 56-year-old guidance counselor from Norwich.

Charles Montalbano, a 55-year-old furniture designer from Milford, said he voted for DeStefano.

"I think he's done an admirable job in the city of New Haven, which was not an easy place to accomplish it," Montalbano said.

Both campaigns had problems at the polls Tuesday. Malloy's campaign filed a complaint with the state, saying that a New Haven machine was "corrupted" because it didn't show Malloy's name. Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said the ballot strip was merely misaligned.

DeStefano was unable to vote when he showed up at his precinct at 6 a.m. in New Haven. Mechanical difficulties forced the candidate, and other voters, to wait about 30 minutes before casting ballots.

A poll released Monday by Quinnipiac University showed 48 percent of likely voters backing DeStefano, compared with 41 percent for Malloy. That was the tightest the race has been in recent months. DeStefano had a 48 percent to 38 percent lead in a poll last week.

The candidates have increasingly traded accusations that each side was distorting the other's positions.

DeStefano has raised $4 million, while Malloy reported about $3.8 million. The candidates also hit voters with a blitz of television and radio ads.

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Associated Press Writer Susan Haigh in Hartford contributed to this report.