Tong Ending Connecticut Senate Campaign, Will Back Murphy
State Rep. William Tong is dropping out of the Connecticut Senate race and will endorse frontrunning Rep. Chris Murphy with under two weeks to go until the state Democratic Convention. The Connecticut Mirror:
William Tong is withdrawing from the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate today and endorsing the frontrunner, U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, at a press conference where Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman also will formally back Murphy.
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Democratic leaders have been urging Tong, whose cash on hand was insufficient to wage a credible primary, to end his campaign on his [own] terms, prior to the May 12 nominating convention. The argument was that Tong has won statewide exposure, but should leave now and bank his higher visibility for a future run.
Tong, dubbed the "Asian Obama" by one Nutmeg State Democrat, caught the eye of this blog when he announced his campaign last year thanks to his unique biography: President Obama was Tong's constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago and the state legislator stumped for Obama in 2008.
But after an impressive early fundraising push, the little-known Tong struggled to keep pace in the primary and never really emerged as a factor against Murphy and former Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz.
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