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Farmer Running as Write-In Candidate in Clinton

Clinton residents have another option in the first selectman race now that incumbent First Selectman Republican Bruce Farmer has announced he’s campaigning as a write-in candidate for the Nov. 7 municipal elections.

Farmer was endorsed for a second term by the Republican Town Committee, but lost in a primary race against Kirk Carr, an alternate on the Board of Finance. Carr defeated Farmer in the Sept. 12 primary 451 votes to 245, with 28 percent of registered Republicans voting in that election.

Farmer explained to the Harbor News in an interview why he wanted to run again after the primary. Farmer said that following his loss in the primary, he took a day to “lick his wounds,” then met with his family to discuss what his future move should be.

Farmer said he and his family came to a decision that “we needed to give the voters another choice.” “While I am and have stated in the past that I’m in favor of the primary process, the results of our primary in Clinton were disappointing, when approximately only 28 percent of Republicans and 30 percent of Democratic voters came out to vote in the primary,” said Farmer. “The unaffiliated voters in Clinton make up a majority of voters in town, in that there are over 4,000 of these folks who cannot vote in a primary at all,” Farmer said.

“So, if one considers both of these factors, I came to a conclusion that a primary result is not representative of all the voters in town. In view of that, I decided to give our voters another choice for first selectman,” Farmer said.

Farmer said now that he’s running as a write-in, he’ll “need to work harder” for the votes, and educating people on his positions.

In a Sept. 28 letter to the Harbor News announcing his candidacy, Farmer wrote, “This election must be about our future. We must move forward together while preserving and protecting our quality of life, health, safety, and environment.”

Reached for comment about Farmer’s candidacy, Carr said, “Write-in candidacies are part of our system. The more choices people have, the better,” but also added, “I don’t expect the appetite for incumbents to increase in the general election, but I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Democratic nominee for first selectman Christine Goupil, who also won a primary on Sept. 12, said, “One of the greatest things about our democracy is that he can run again...He obviously cares about the job,” adding, “The primary results speak for themselves. People want new leadership and professionalism that I will bring.”

As a write-in candidate, Farmer’s name will not appear on the November ballot. Instead, a line is provided for write-in votes, which will be counted by hand once the polls close on Nov. 7.