Joe Visconti Drops Out Of Connecticut Governor's Race

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Conservative petitioning candidate Joe Visconti has dropped out of the Connecticut governor's race and thrown his support to Republican Tom Foley in a last-minute effort to defeat Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Visconti announced his withdrawal from the campaign Sunday at a campaign stop with Foley in Brookfield. He said he made the decision Saturday afternoon and met with Foley later in the evening, after seeing a poll showing Foley trailing Malloy by a few percentage points.

A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed Malloy and Foley deadlocked with each receiving the support of 43 percent of likely voters, while Visconti was favored by 7 percent. A CBS/New York Times Internet poll on Monday also had the race tied – 40 percent for Malloy, 40 percent for Foley and 3 percent for Visconti.

Visconti says he didn't receive anything from Foley for dropping out of the race and supporting him.

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