Good morning and welcome back to the Tip Sheet, a weekly newsletter from Tom Dudchik’s Capitol Report written by Mike Cerulli.

This week, we’re analyzing the departure of Lamont’s chief narrative shaper and recapping developments in two of the big races in the state.

Let’s dive in…

Lamont loses his pitchman

For almost three years, there’s been one name that’s never far from Gov. Ned Lamont’s tongue when he’s delivering public remarks: Anthony Anthony.

In speech after speech, Lamont has cast his uniquely named chief marketer as a central character in the “Connecticut comeback” narrative he’s worked to promote during his second term in office.

An evangelist with an entrepreneurial spirit, Anthony has made his name as a conjuror of new and flashy things in the “Land of Steady Habits.”

He conjured his current job as chief marketing officer back in 2023 after a stint in the governor’s office. He conjured cheap, visible media campaigns that brought the state heaps of social media attention even as elected leaders balked at funding more tourism initiatives. With a major assist from the bullhorn of social media titans like Dave Portnoy, Anthony also conjured one of the biggest reputational coups in the recent history of public sector marketing: a nationwide proliferation of the claim that Connecticut, not New York or New Jersey, is America’s “pizza capital.”

Last week, it was announced that Anthony will be departing state service early February. He’ll be staying in Connecticut as he works to blaze a new career path in the private sector.

The timing of Anthony’s departure means that the governor will be losing arguably his most effective pitchman at the start of an election year that will see a key part of Lamont’s governing thesis – the one embodied by the optimistic marketing campaigns Anthony designed – tested on the ballot.

“Early in our administration, I said what I believed then and now – no more bad mouthing Connecticut,” Lamont said in a statement lauding Anthony’s time in state government. “Anthony took that message to heart and turned it into a strategy that people feel every day.”

One need only look at the graphic design of Lamont’s first batch of campaign swag to see how subtly yet inextricably linked Anthony’s creative vision for Connecticut’s official brand is with the governor’s own political branding. Stickers handed out to Lamont supporters the day he formally kicked off his campaign traced the same themes as the pugilistic highway signs conceived by Anthony and his team at the scrappy state tourism office.

Each sign and sticker features a different bright spot of Connecticut’s economy and culture: college hoops, pizza, helicopters, etc.

With Anthony headed for the door, it remains to be seen who will take over the creative direction of the Connecticut brand or if anyone will even be named his formal successor in the role of chief marketing officer.

One thing that’s nearly certain: Businesses and other organizations across the state are eager to see if they can enlist the newly available Anthony to help him catch the same type of marketing lightening that he repeatedly harnessed during his state service.

Stewart readies her public financing application

Erin Stewart is on track to become the first gubernatorial contender this cycle to apply for Connecticut’s unique government-funded campaign financing program.

The Stewart campaign began filing the required paperwork this weekend – a sign that the full application will land on the desk of the State Elections Enforcement Commission sometime in the next week or so.

Larson stacks up more endorsements

Rep. John Larson is rolling out a fresh slate of endorsements this week, anchored by the Democratic Town Committee in East Hartford.

The approval of his hometown party organization is a point of pride for Larson, who frequently references his upbringing in East Hartford’s Mayberry Village.

“This isn’t politics to me,” Larson said in a statement. “For me, it’s personal.”

Of course, it can be both personal and political at the same time.

Larson is working to shore up his defenses in advance of what could be a grueling primary contest next year. His two principal challengers – Luke Bronin of Hartford and Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford – come from key municipalities in the district. It remains to be seen how the Democratic Town Committees in those two communities will shake out in terms of support, but it will likely be hard to replicate the level of support that Larson has in East Hartford.

In addition to his hometown DTC, the 14-term incumbent is touting new endorsements from prominent Democratic legislators and local leaders, including Saud Anwar, Jason Doucette, Gary Turco, Patrick Biggins, Mary Fortier, Henry Genga, and Geoff Luxenberg.

The Larson campaign also said they have the support of the mayors and first selectmen of Middletown, Bloomfield, South Windsor, Windsor Locks, and Colebrook.

That’s all for this week. We’ll be back in the new year with another edition of the Tip Sheet. Wishing you all the best!