A Connecticut Party was a political party formed by former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and gubernatorial candidate

Lowell Weicker Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. (; born May 16, 1931) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president in 1980. He wa ...

in 1990."A Connecticut Party Endorses Lieberman". New York Times, July 07, 1994
/ref> Weicker subsequently won the 1990 gubernatorial election and served a single term as

governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

. The party was intentionally named to fall alphabetically first on the ballot. In 1992 the party held its first convention with 350 delegates attending. At the convention the party endorsed more than 100 candidates for the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

(about 80 Democrats, 16 A Connecticut Party candidates and a "handful of Republicans"). In 1994, Weicker's

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, Eunice Groark, carried the ACP banner into the governor's race, but was defeated, finishing third with 18.9% of the vote. In other races for statewide or federal office, the party mostly endorsed Democrats including incumbents

Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

for US Senate,

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal (; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of ...

for attorney general, Joseph M. Suggs Jr. for state treasurer, and

Barbara B. Kennelly Barbara Bailey Kennelly (born Barbara Ann Bailey; born July 10, 1936) is an American politician. She is the former Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut. Family and Educ ...

for representative in the 1st congressional district. The party also endorsed the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidacies of state representative

Miles S. Rapoport Miles S. Rapoport (born October 15, 1949) is an American politician who served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1995 to 1999. A progressive Democrat, he went on to serve as president of Demos and Common Cause. Early life and educ ...

for secretary of state, and Charlotte Koskoff for representative in the 6th congressional district. In the 2nd congressional district the party ran its own candidate, David Bingham, who finished third in a three-way race with 14.90%. However, without its own statewide officeholder, the party faded from view by the late 1990s. The party stopped running its own candidates in 1998. Starting in 2021 there is an ongoing effort to revive the party in

West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The ...

, however, this new party of the same name shares no legal relation to A Connecticut Party.

References

External links

Official website (2021 revival)
Defunct political parties in the United States Political parties in Connecticut Regional and state political parties in the United States 1990 establishments in Connecticut Political parties established in 1990 Political history of Connecticut Political parties disestablished in the 1990s 1990s disestablishments in Connecticut {{US-party-stub