New Britain Mayor Teams With Greenwich's Tesei For State Run

GREENWICH, CT — New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart Tuesday announced Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei as her Lt. Governor running mate in her Gubernatorial campaign. The two debuted as a ticket during a press event in Hartford Tuesday morning.

Stewart, a three-term Mayor, and Tesei, the six-term First Selectman, enter an already crowded field of candidates for the Republican nomination for governor and make an unlikely pairing, writes the Hartford Courant.

However, the two look at their ticket as a way of checking off multiple boxes in mounting a campaign that seeks broad appeal. Additionally, Stewart is hoping that Tesei's Greenwich connections will pump cash into her fundraising efforts, reports the Greenwich Time.

The 49-year-old Tesei also has a considerable amount of experience as a public official, having been first elected to the Greenwich RTM at age 18. In fact, he's held public office as long as the 30-year-old Stewart has been alive.

Tesei's move effectively ends his support of fellow Republican Steve Obsitnik, of Westport, the Courant writes was "apoplectic" over Tesei's decision to join Stewart.

As a Republican Lt. Governor candidate Tesei is running against Darien's popular First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, who announced her candidacy for the position in January.

Image via Stewart's campaign Facebook page