For the fourth straight time, Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele won a court ruling Tuesday that allows him to spend public money in his campaign for governor.
The State Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a Superior Court judge that allows Fedele to spend more than $2 million against Greenwich multimillionaire Tom Foley in an increasingly bitter race. Foley has filed multiple lawsuits in a high-stakes legal battle in the Republican primary.
The ruling by the state's highest court marks a watershed in the Republican primary as Fedele will now be able to compete on television and in paid advertisements against Foley, who has already poured more than $2 million into his campaign.
With only three weeks left until the August 10 primary, Fedele is already on a pace to be spending about $2 million in one month - one of the highest totals in state history.
"This is another way in which Tom Foley is trying to buy this election,'' Fedele spokesman Christopher Cooper said on the steps of the Supreme Court after the ruling. "He bought the ambassadorship, and now he's trying to buy the governor's office. ... He's tied up the courts. He's cheated the taxpayers. ... We were never surprised by any of the four decisions.''
Foley's campaign manager, Justin Clark, said that the Fedele campaign should not seek additional public money for its campaign. Fedele, though, is on the agenda for Wednesday at the State Elections Enforcement Commission in Hartford in his request to receive an additional $312,500 - which would be the final portion of $2.5 million in public funds. The number is increased beyond the base grant of $1.25 million because Foley spent additional funds that sets off triggers and provides additional money to his opponent.
"They should refrain from asking for more,'' Clark said of the Fedele campaign. "It looks like they're going to ask for it and get it.''
Attorney Wes Horton, an attorney for Foley, noted that the Supreme Court ruling was made orally - and the exact details will not be known until later when a written decision is delivered.
"It's possible they're saying they don't want to intervene,'' said Horton, who was standing next to Clark after the ruling.