Connecticut's Attorney General Candidates Spar in Interviews as Campaign Season Heats Up
With about two months before the general election, the three candidates for Connecticut attorney general went on the offensive as they discussed guns, Trump, each other and the environment.
September 04, 2018 at 06:21 PM
7 minute read
The race for who will become the next Connecticut attorney general is on—and it's heated.
From guns to the environment to President Donald Trump and the eligibility for office, the three candidates vying to be the state's top lawyer have very differing opinions. They also wasted no time after the recent primary to go after each other.
In interviews conducted by the Connecticut Law Tribune Friday and Tuesday, Democratic candidate William Tong went after Republican candidate Susan Hatfield, a 2016 Trump delegate, for her support of the president. Hatfield, for her part, called Tong “hyper-partisan” and questioned whether he even qualifies to be running for the seat. Meanwhile, Green Party candidate Peter Goselin said both Tong and Hatfield are out of touch with mainstream voters for not talking about issues, such as police brutality.
The race will come down to Tong and Hatfield, as even Goselin concedes he does not expect to win and is in the race to highlight issues he feels are not getting the proper attention.
A strong opponent of Trump and his administration, Tong has been highly critical of the president's actions, comments and policies. From his comments to the Connecticut Law Tribune Friday, Tong made it clear he'll point out on the campaign Hatfield's support of Trump.
“You will hear from Sue Hatfield that she does not want to talk about Trump,” said the 45-year-old Tong, who has been vocal in his role as co-chairman of the state House Judiciary Committee on issues such as supporting gay rights and fighting the National Rifle Association. “But this is Connecticut, and we need to talk about his policies and his tax laws that are a direct attack on the people and families of Connecticut.”
Throughout the interview, Tong referred to his 46-year-old Republican opponent, who is on an unpaid leave of absence as a prosecutor, as having “extreme views” on a variety of issues. Tong called Hatfield extreme on immigration and the environment, among other issues. “She takes an extreme view on the environment and supports the president's rollback of emission standards that pollute our air.”
Fresh off a Democratic primary battle with Paul Doyle and Chris Mattei in which Mattei questioned Tong's qualifications to run for the attorney general post because of a recent Connecticut Supreme Court case, Hatfield also questioned Tong's qualifications.
“I am qualified to run,” she said Tuesday. “The [court] standard to run for attorney general is you need at least 10 years' active practice at the bar of this state. That does not state any court. The plain meaning of that statute is state court. From what I've read, his one opening statement [in court] was done in federal court, not in state court.”
Tong, the son of Chinese immigrants and currently of counsel at Finn, Dixon & Herling, has said he had more than 400 matters for hundreds of clients and has emphasized that because of the nature of civil litigation, many times it takes years to handle such cases, which are rarely tried to verdict.
Hatfield, who worked for the New York City law firm Hawkins Delafield & Wood where she represented government entities and public authorities, claimed Tong is too political for the job.
“I believe he [is] hyper-partisan and will make this a very political office,” Hatfield said. “His positions will be based on politics, while I will make my decisions on what is best for the people of Connecticut.”
One issue that is sure to be a lightning rod: guns. Tong has repeatedly taken swipes at the NRA and said his entire political career has been to make the state safer for its residents.
“I've been fighting with the NRA and the CCDL [Connecticut Citizens Defense League] for more than a decade,” Tong said. “They [CCDL] endorsed her on the promise she would oppose more gun laws.” He said it appears the CCDL's rescinding of its endorsement of Hatfield right before the primary was “a sham. Her extreme views will not play in the general election in Connecticut.” The CCDL, the state's largest gun rights group, rescinded its support of Hatfield after she came out against so-called ghost guns. Connecticut recently joined seven other states and the District of Columbia in filing a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration and a Texas-based company that allows individuals to download instructions for 3-D printed guns from its website. That suit and subsequent motions for and against are pending.
With regard to the CCDL rescinding its endorsement of her, Hatfield said: “I am not in anyone's pocket. I fight for what I believe in and for what is the right thing to do.”
Hatfield said she is a “strong Second Amendment person” and believes that while law-abiding citizens should have guns, more needs to be done with regards to mental health and not allowing those who have serious mental health issues to own weapons.
Tong said he's proud that Connecticut Against Gun Violence has endorsed only one candidate for statewide office this year, that being him.
On other issues, Hatfield said she's work closely with the business community to keep businesses in the Nutmeg State. “We can't afford to lose anymore businesses. I will create a line of communication with them,” she said.
Tong has called for the creation of a civil rights division within the Office of Attorney General.
Goselin said he is proud to lead the way in talking about issues no other candidate is talking about. Most importantly, he said, issues that deal with police violence.
“There is not anyone I know who does not think police violence against people of color is an important issue,” said Goselin, a 58-year-old West Hartford resident who has practiced law for 23 years, including the last eight as a solo practitioner.
“You can turn to social media and see stories about a young black male being killed by police officers or a young black male who was tased by holding his 2-month-old baby,” Goselin said. “In Hamden, a high-speed police chase involved alleged car thieves and the police decided they needed to conduct a high-speed chase in a residential neighborhood. The result was one man in the car they were chasing was killed and one was severely injured. Are these policies the best policies for a community? Do the police feel they need to treat communities like they are occupied territories.”
All three candidates said they look forward to debating. Goselin said he'd fight hard to make sure he is allowed in any debates between attorney general candidates. No debates have yet been set. The general election is in November.
Related Stories:
The Votes Are In: It's William Tong vs. Susan Hatfield for Attorney General in November
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllConnecticut Movers: New Hires at SkiberLaw, Verrill and Silver Golub & Teitell
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Big Law Begins 2025 With Boston Laterals and Deals
- 2Vinson & Elkins Expands Environmental Team with Chair of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
- 3From Courtrooms to Conversations: The Unexpected Joys of Podcasting as a Lawyer
- 4'A More Nuanced Issue': NJ Supreme Court Considers Appellate Rules for Personal Injury Judgments
- 5Drake Sues UMG for Defamation Over Promotion of False Claims of Pedophilia
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250