In a landmark decision on Wednesday, a Democratic primary race in a Connecticut town was overturned by a judge, following allegations that incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim had cheated. Superior Court Judge William Clark concluded due to a bulk of evidence that “the reliability of the result of the election is seriously in doubt.” This move comes after Ganim, who was trailing challenger John Gomes by 487 votes on election night, was reported to be leading by 251 votes the next day due to a sudden influx of absentee ballots.
Judge Clark’s ruling – wherein he expressed profound disturbance at the content of the videos, stating they were “shocking to the court and should be shocking to all the parties” – was based on the combination of data, which revealed an unusual number of absentee ballots cast in specific districts, and video evidence showing two Democratic officials stuffing ballot drop boxes. In the ensuing court proceedings, both accused officials, Wanda Geter-Pataky, vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee, and former city councilwoman Eneida Martinez, invoked their fifth amendment rights.
Despite Clark’s call for a new primary race to be organized because of the doubtful legitimacy of the primary election, plans for the general election on Tuesday remain on schedule. The ballot will list Ganim as the Democratic nominee and Gomes as an independent, per Associated Press reports. This is not Ganim’s first brush with controversy; he was previously found guilty of corruption during his initial tenure as Mayor, however, he was re-elected post his release from prison.
