Jonathan Harris dropped out of the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination today and endorsed Ned Lamont, giving the Greenwich businessman a jolt of momentum less than a month before the Democratic nominating convention.
Harris is exiting a crowded race that now is likely to become a contest at the convention between Lamont and Susan Bysiewicz, the former secretary of the state. They are holding a midday news conference.
“It was a tough decision, but the right decision,” Harris said at a news conference with Lamont. “The state is at a turning point right now, and we need to make real change, real progress. And I just concluded that it was in the best interest of the state and the best interest of the party that I step back from the race. Now is the time we all have to get together.”
Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim and former Veterans Affairs Commissioner Sean Connolly also will be competing with Lamont and Bysiewicz for the nomination at the convention. Guy L. Smith IV, a former business executive, says he will petition for a place in the August primary.
Harris is the second Democrat to exit the race in 11 days. After a long exploratory campaign, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin decided not to go forward.