After a stronger than expected showing in the gubernatorial primary, former candidate Frank Edelblut will be putting his backing behind former opponent Chris Sununu and looking to the future.
Edelblut didn’t have as strong name recognition as Sununu, who is currently finishing up a stint on the state’s Executive Council and is son to former Governor John Sununu. But despite trailing in the polls leading up to the primary, Edelblut said he wasn’t surprised at how many voters turned out for him, placing him only about 800 votes behind Sununu, the eventual winner.
Edelblut said he had a large grassroots campaign, coupled with some key endorsement groups that rallied people to turn out and vote. Edelblut said focusing his campaign on groups that were likely to head to the polls during primary time, and not just the general election, was key.
“I just think that the polls were not asking the actual primary voters, so I was not that worried about the polling,” said Edelblut.
While Edelblut said his conservative core was a selling point among hard-right Republicans, he also tried to turn one of the spots that might have been a weak point into a strength: His dearth of experience in the political arena.
Edelblut was running mainly on a common-sense brand and his business accumen, since he has a limited political record. Edelblut has a single term as a state Rep. under his belt, and has served on the Wilton water commission, a relative political newcomer to go up against the Republican favorite Sununu, who had name recognition both from his three terms on the state’s Executive Council and from his more well-known father, former governor John H. Sununu, and his former U.S. Senator brother, John E. Sununu.
Many of the people he talked to were ready for a fresh face, not steeped in the political system, said Edelblut.
“I think the message that was resonating was that people just wanted someone that was a principled person and a political outsider,” said Edelblut. “From that perspective, I had individuals supporting me that were socially very liberal. We may not agree on all the issues, but they knew exactly where they stood with me.”
But having ultimately conceded the race, and announcing and declining to call for a recount, Edelblut said he will be putting his energy behind Sununu and other Republican candidates for the remainder of the campaign.
“I don’t have to be a one-man show. I’m happy to work with whomever and provide what help I can,” said Edelblut, of offering his support to Sununu.
With a presidential race featuring candidates controversial even to members of their own party, Edelblut said the downticket races are going to be influenced, so he will be campaigning for Republican’s all down the ballot. Particularly, he said, it wiil be vital for Republicans to hold the state Senate, where they hold a majority, and if possible, turn the Democratic-controlled state House of Representatives red as well – easier said than done when the Democrats carry the opposite goal.
For now, Edelblut is out of the political scene come November, when his position in the House of Representatives is up. His governor run meant that he could not run for re-election for the seat. But as for two years from now, Edelblut said he’s just waiting and seeing at the moment. Whether that’s trying to return to his seat as state Rep. seat, or another political office will remain to be seen, said Edelblut, but he is keeping his options open.
“I have saved my signs, for whatever that’s worth,” said Edelblut. “I still care deeply about the things that I talked about on the campaign trail, and will fight for those ideals in whatever way that I can.”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.