DANBURY — Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton says he’s officially exploring a bid for statewide office.
The Republican is expected to seek the GOP nomination for governor in 2018. He previously ran for governor in 2014, but suspended his campaign and backed Republican Tom Foley. Foley ultimately lost to Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy, who was seeking a second term.
Malloy has not ruled out seeking a third term.
In a message posted Tuesday on Facebook, Boughton said he can “no longer sit idly by while our home loses thousands of jobs month after month.” Boughton says people are paying more in taxes, electric rates and fees while “getting less and less service.”
A former high school teacher and state representative, Boughton has been mayor of Danbury since 2001.
Boughton has a massive social media following with more than 28,000 Twitter followers. He often gets attention for his tweets about snow days, “The Walking Dead,” and his dog.
State Senator Rob Kane also filed an exploratory committee for Governor. The Republican filed paperwork for forming the exploratory committee to run for statewide office in 2018.
