Shaun McNally has told some people he is considering a return to Africa, where he worked as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years
Race Still Sore Point
August 23, 2004
By PENELOPE OVERTON, Courant Staff Writer
DEEP RIVER -- Where's Shaun McNally?
Nearly two weeks since the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary, the Deep River Democrat hasn't called winner Jim Sullivan to concede. No congratulations on a well-run race, no good-luck wishes and most important, no endorsement - public or otherwise.
McNally's friends, relatives and supporters say he needs time to come to terms with his defeat. McNally, who ran a hard, yearlong campaign, gave up his job and $30,000 of his own in his House bid.
"Shaun will do the right thing," said former U.S. Rep. Barbara Kennelly, a relative of McNally's by marriage and a campaign contributor. "Shaun is a good Democrat. He is going to do what's right for his party. He'll do what he can for Jimmy."
Kennelly said that McNally, who has not responded to repeated phone calls for comment, has spent the past 10 days with his family, especially his 9-year-old daughter, Kate, at Connecticut's beaches and ballparks.
Such silence is unusual in any political race - losers generally at least concede, if not congratulate their opponent. But it is more pronounced in a primary, when rivals are members of the same party and are expected to come together to defeat a common opponent in a general election.
What might make it worse in this case is that Sullivan's Republican opponent, incumbent Rob Simmons, has seized on McNally's chief criticism of Sullivan - that the two-term Norwich city councilman isn't experienced enough - and showcased it in his early attacks on Sullivan.
Some political insiders accuse McNally of sulking. They say McNally feels betrayed by the heavy hitters in his own party, including high-profile national Democrats, who endorsed Sullivan - which is not common in a primary race. They say McNally was angry that Sullivan never took him seriously as a rival for the party nomination.
Others say McNally is simply suffering from a heartbreaking loss. They say there is still plenty of time for McNally to endorse Sullivan. This year's primary was held a month earlier than usual, which gives McNally some breathing room, they say.
A few days before the primary, Sullivan staff members reached out to McNally to schedule a post-primary "unity breakfast" where the losing candidate would endorse the winner. It was scuttled after the McNally campaign failed to return Sullivan's calls, Sullivan staff members said.
Malea Stenzel, McNally's campaign manager who is now working for John Kerry, said Wednesday that McNally hasn't decided "what to do about Sullivan."
A few party leaders - including former 2nd District candidate Joseph Courtney and state party Chairman George Jepsen - reached out to McNally after the primary.
"It takes time to get over losing an election," said Jepsen, who met with McNally for an hour last week. "I like Shaun. I respect Shaun. He has a future in the Democratic Party if he wants it. ... We want people like Shaun on our team."
Sullivan said he wants McNally's endorsement. He knows it would make it easier to recruit McNally supporters and their financial contributions to his campaign to unseat Simmons, who is known for mounting aggressive, expensive campaigns - and who has already raised a substantial amount of money.
Some Democrats say a McNally endorsement, although welcomed, isn't absolutely necessary. Jepsen characterized most McNally supporters as diehard George Bush haters who wouldn't dream of voting for Simmons, who they see as a strong supporter of the president.
"They may have liked Shaun better, but they hate Simmons," Jepsen said.
But Courtney points out that in a district where elections have been decided by fewer than 50 votes, every vote counts, so an endorsement would be helpful.
Sullivan thinks he'll eventually get McNally's endorsement. In April, at a meeting of Killingworth Democratic Town Committee members, McNally promised he would back whomever the party chose to run against Simmons.
Some Democrats think the endorsement decision facing McNally will have more of an impact on McNally's future than it will on Sullivan's. McNally's political future would be shaky, at best, they say, if he does not do everything he can to help Democrats beat Simmons.
But McNally has always taken pride in bucking his own party. As a state legislator, he voted in favor of a state income tax and voted with Republicans to oust a liberal House speaker. He endorsed independent Lowell Weicker for governor.
McNally has told some people he is considering a return to Africa, where he worked as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years and then as an elections monitor, but Jepsen said he thinks McNally would make a fine state commissioner under a Democratic governor.
