Foley to run for Governor again

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- Now that the Presidential election is over, it appears the race for Governor in 2014 has already begun.

Republican Tom Foley of Greenwich says he's in. The former Ambassador and close friend of President George W. Bush tells News 8 he's ready to give it another try.

"I'm planning to run again, yes," Foley said.

"You didn't have enough last time," News 8's Mark Davis asked.

"I actually enjoyed the campaign last time. I didn't enjoy losing but I enjoyed the campaign, glad I ran for office and looking forward to doing it again," Foley said laughing.

After a bruising primary and final election campaign two years ago, Foley lost to Democrat Dannel Malloy by a razor thin 6,400. He spent millions of dollars of his own money doing it.

Just like another Greenwich millionaire Linda McMahon in the election that just concluded but he says that is not a bad omen.

"I don't think self funding really matters very much to people, I think they want strong leaders," Foley said.

He faults the man that beat him for not delivering on the promise to turn the state around, for raising taxes which he says was unecessary and not really cutting spending and says that now that the tax hikes havn't worked, Malloy is pulling the plug on services that people really need.

"Now they're hurting the little people in the state; alzheimer's funding, the children's fund, the disabled, vets. They're stepping on the brake and hitting the acelerator at the same time," Foley said.

"We know that the state of Connecticut was in a terrible mess following sixteen years of Republican Governors and I've spent a lot of time to turn that around. We're about ninety percent of the way there, we'll get the other ten," Malloy said.

As far as a rematch with Tom Foley, the Governor says it's not time to talk about it yet.

"I've not even given it any thought, I've got a pretty big job to do. I concentrate on doing that job. We'll let the politics take care of itself at the appropriate time and this is not the appropriate one," Malloy said.

Foley says he's not afraid of another primary and says they can be healthy for the party.

There are at least three other Republicans that may run; Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney of Fairfield, and State House Republican Leader Larry Cafero of Norwalk.