(Headline USA) It’s been nearly four months since a judge tossed out the results of a Democratic mayoral primary in Connecticut’s largest city due to evidence of ballot stuffing, sending voters repeatedly back to the polls and thrusting Bridgeport into an unflattering national spotlight.
In the wake of a 2022 election where questions arose once again over Left’s cavalier attitude toward election integrity, particularly where absentee and mail-in voting are concerned, the intra-party scandal in the deep blue region, in which Democrat candidates accused each other of rigging the election, validated the concerns that many Republicans had long expressed with regard to the general election.
A do-over general election on Tuesday will mark the fourth time registered Democrats have voted for the city’s next mayor, after the judge voided the initial primary over surveillance footage that appeared to show a supporter of incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim putting multiple absentee ballots into a drop box.
This is the OUTRAGEOUS video of the Democrat Clerk stuffing illegal ballots into the City drop box and visiting it multiple times in one day
This video was leaked by a whistleblower inside the City and @gatewaypundit helped share it with the world pic.twitter.com/XRUl52PtYZ
— George (@BehizyTweets) November 1, 2023
The culprit, city “operation specialist” Wanda Geter–Pataky, admitted in court that she had not been following Connecticut law regarding the handling of third-party ballots.
But subsequent video appeared to show supporters of Ganim’s challenger, John Gomes, doing the same thing.
For those counting, there have now been two primaries and one general election, which didn’t count.
Many frustrated local voters say they just want it settled for good.
“It’s very embarrassing,” said Luis DeJesus, 56, a lifelong Bridgeport resident who previously had voted for Gomes.
DeJesus said he was “really fed up” with the past results, in which Ganim appeared to have won—and likely won’t vote again on Tuesday.
“I’m really sorry. I can’t do it,” he said. “I can’t do it for only one person.”
Ganim went to prison for corruption during his first stint as mayor on 16 federal counts including racketeering, extortion, bribery, mail fraud and filing a false tax return.
He then regained his old job eight years ago in a remarkable political comeback.
The mayor, who worked in the same office as Geter–Pataky, has denied knowledge of the alleged ballot-box stuffing and called for statewide election reforms.
Gomes, who had previously worked as Ganim’s acting chief administrative officer, successfully sued to overturn the Sept. 12 primary showing he lost to his former boss by 251 votes out of 8,173 cast.
That meant the results of the subsequent November general election didn’t count and another primary was held in January, which again was won by Ganim.
Gomes is now running as an independent for the fourth face-off.
It’s just the latest election controversy in Bridgeport, a working-class Democratic stronghold of more than 148,000 residents. Accusations of absentee-ballot manipulation date back to at least 1986, when five of the city’s Democrats were arrested for collecting and possessing other people’s ballots.
This scandal, though, became a national talking point when the drop-box surveillance videos were first made public. Now the subject of multiple investigations, the videos have fueled further skepticism about the security of U.S. elections following widespread concerns over the 2020 presidential election.
That spilled over into the 2022 election in some areas, such as the Arizona gubernatorial race, which saw Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs prevail over pro-MAGA candidate Kari Lake following suspicious Election Day irregularities, as well as protracted vote counts afterward in Maricopa County and elsewhere.
In Pennsylvania, where Democrats controlled all the top executive offices, Democrats used extensive mail-in voting to push then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman across the finish line, despite the fact that a stroke had severely limited his cognitive and processing functions for much of the campaign.
As for Bridgeport, voter turnout has been relatively steady, albeit low, throughout the prior three elections. But Nick Roussas, owner of Frankie’s Diner, a local institution since 1946, said many of his customers were just tired of the ongoing saga.
“There’s election fatigue,” said Roussas, who said he likes both Ganim and Gomes and allows them to campaign in his restaurant.
While he can’t vote because he doesn’t live in Bridgeport, Roussas said he believes the “city is moving in the right direction,” noting the streets are in better condition, efforts are underway to address blight, and there has been new economic development.
To date, there have been no charges or arrests over the ballot mishandling allegations that resulted in this protracted mayoral race.
That lack of accountability has only worsened voter apathy, cynicism and disenfranchisement among voters, said Callie Gale Heilmann, founder, president and co-director of Bridgeport Generation Now Votes, a local social-action network that is supporting the Gomes campaign.
After recently sending texts to supporters urging them to vote for a fourth time, the group received responses such as “I’m not voting,” “I voted the other times, and it doesn’t matter” and “Gomes should accept that he lost.”
“There’s the sense that it doesn’t matter,” said Gemeem Davis, the organization’s vice president and co-director.
“The people who get up on Election Day and walk to the polls to make their voices heard, they don’t matter,” Davis continued. “And it’s because the political culture around here, around absentee ballots, has dehumanized folks. … Because it’s not even about what they want. It’s about how to get their ballot.”
Bridgeport Generation Now Votes is reminding voters that the court determined there was enough evidence to order a new primary and “redo democracy,” Heilmann said.
“And aren’t we so lucky that we can? Because in authoritarian dictatorships, you most certainly cannot,” she said. “The elections are stolen and then that’s it.”
Despite the controversy surrounding his campaign, Ganim, who accused the Gomes campaign of also committing election law violations, has managed to shore up key support for another term in the closing days.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes have all endorsed the convicted felon, as well as Lamond Daniels, a former Democratic rival for mayor.
Last week Lamont—who in 2018 defeated Ganim in a Democratic primary for governor in every community except Bridgeport—publicly announced his support for his former rival, citing their “strong working relationship.”
“He’s a good mayor for me to work with,” Lamont said during a ceremony for a new technical high school in Bridgeport.”We’re getting a lot done together. I hope he’s given another four years.”
His running mate, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, appeared at a get-out-the-vote rally for Ganim on Saturday.
The bizarre decision by the Democrats in power not only to refuse to hold Ganim accountable but to line up behind him may have contributed to much of the cynicism as voters increasingly recognize that their interests are not being represented.
In similar fashion, Democrats have paid lip service to calling for indicted Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., to step down as a matter of political expediency but have stopped short of voting him out of the Senate as Republicans recently did with Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., while putting their own political majority on the line.
There is also a growing suspicion that Democrats’ refusal to criticize or even acknowledge the issues surrounding President Joe Biden, including his cognitive decline and concerns over corruption, are part of a systematic gaslighting effort that puts the preservation of their own political advantage over the interests of the nation.
Aside from Gomes, Ganim faces Republican David Herz in Tuesday’s election. But some may have relegated the Democrat rival to the category of “right-wing extremist,” blaming him for having the audacity to expose the corrupt system and stir up trouble.
Brian Carey, 70, a resident of Bridgeport for more than 30 years and an independent, has now voted in two general elections for mayor, since only Democrats can vote in the primaries. Last week, he filled out his absentee ballot at City Hall.
“If you don’t vote, you can’t complain,” said Carey, who declined to say whom he voted for.
He said he had hope Bridgeport elections would change for the better after being in the spotlight.
“You go through phases and you have issues with certain politicians, both local and national,” Carey said. “I’m hoping that after this round, we won’t have any more silliness.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
