Government
Republican Candidates for First Selectman: A Primary Is ‘Likely’ [CORRECTED]
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[Editor’s Note: A direct quote attributed to Cristina Ross regarding her position on a possible future primary has been updated for accuracy.]
Republican candidates for first selectman Cristina Ross and Kevin Moynihan said during a debate this week that that it is “likely” that there will be a primary in the coming fall election should they fail to win party backing at the July 18 caucus. “I think it’s very likely that it might come to a primary,” Ross, currently a member of the Town Council and also a member of the RTC, said during the organization’s second candidates’ debate, held Wednesday at Town Hall. “I will assess the number of [RTC] votes [following the caucus] and see where things stand [before making a decision].”
Moynihan, also a member of the Town Council and the RTC, said it would “really depend on what the vote [count] is.” He pointed out that while primaries for first selectman seats in neighboring towns including Darien and Greenwich “are quite common,” still “we’ve never had a primary in New Canaan.”
But this time around, “with three people in the race” for first selectman, “it increases the likelihood of a primary,” Moynihan said during the debate, co-moderated by Michael Dinan of NewCanaanite.com and Greg Reilly of the New Canaan Advertiser. “I think it’s very likely [that there will be a primary],” he added. Ross and Moynihan are challenging three-term incumbent First Selectman Rob Mallozzi.