Analyst: Foley Must Broaden Base, Be Detailed In Rematch Vs. Malloy

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Tom Foley's conservative candidacy appealed to the bulk of Connecticut Republicans voting in Tuesday's gubernatorial primary. But heading into a rematch against incumbent Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy in November, Foley will have to broaden his base.

In an interview with WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau, political analyst Gary Rose said Foley will also have to be specific when it comes to the issues.

"It's going to be a very different election for him, and in order to win this, he's going to have to really start addressing very difficult questions in a very clear and articulate and certainly detailed manner," Rose said.

Rose said Foley will have to be prepared for some tough debates against Malloy.

"Gov. Malloy is a very formidable candidate," Rose said. "He's been in the driver's seat here as an incumbent for four years, and he's going to have a lot of facts and figures right at his fingertips."

In Tuesday's primary, Foley, a Greenwich businessman and a former U.S. ambassador to Ireland, defeated Senate Minority Leader John McKinney of Fairfield.

Rose said, given his base, McKinney, who scored 44 percent of the vote, might have been the stronger candidate against Malloy in November.

Who Foley's running mate will be is still up in the air. In the GOP primary for lieutenant governor, the three-way race between Groton Town Councilwoman Heather Somers, state Rep. Penny Bacchiochi and former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker was still too close to call Wednesday.

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