Political Celebs Rolling Into Connecticut For Governor's Race
STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Some political heavy-hitters are coming to Connecticut to help out in the state's close race for governor.
President Barack Obama is scheduled Wednesday to appear in Bridgeport at a rally for incumbent Gov. Dannel Malloy. The Democrat is being challenged by Republican businessman Tom Foley. A Quinnipiac University Poll released last week shows the race is a dead heat.
Former President Bill Clinton is also scheduled to join Malloy at a rally in Hartford.
Political Celebs Rolling Into Connecticut For Governor's Race
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is expected to make an appearance with Foley on Friday. In February, Jindal and Malloy participated in an on-camera, partisan feud outside the White House over Obama's proposal to increase the federal minimum wage.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is making his fourth visit to Connecticut for Foley on Tuesday.
Khalilah Brown-Dean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac, said while those politicians can be polarizing, the big names can also boost voter turnout among the party base.
"They draw attention to the race," she told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane. "They draw attention to the candidates, and they make people want to go out to vote.
"Often, those names will say: 'It's not just about this race in Connecticut. This is about what our party should expect in 2016," she added.
The election marks a rematch between the candidates. Malloy defeated Foley by 6,404 votes of 1.1 million cast in 2010.
In the latest Quinnipiac poll, Malloy and Foley each had 43 percent of the support from likely voters. Petitioning candidate Joe Visconti had 9 percent, and 5 percent were undecided.
The election will be held Nov. 4.
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