Governor Makes Newtown Response a Campaign Issue
Khalilah Brown-Dean, an associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University, said she believes Malloy's campaign had to include his response to Newtown.
"This is sort of that elephant in the room, so to speak. This is a tragedy that happened in this state," she said, adding that it makes sense for Malloy to reference Newtown considering that the shooting prompted new gun control legislation, which likely will be an issue in the general election, especially if Foley wins the Aug. 12 primary. Foley has been critical of the bill, unlike McKinney, who supported the legislation.
Brown-Dean said she thought Malloy's campaign "masterfully" handled the issue in the first ad, by making a generic reference to the shooting. She said the second ad "takes this to the next step" by including one of the victim's parents. But Brown-Dean said Sandy Hook is different from other tragedies because so many of the parents, including Hockley, have become politically active since the event.
"I think it was tasteful given the context," she said. "Here you have a parent who has been very vocal about this, who has actively engaged politicians and engaged the policy."
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