Great news! Hope Foley can win.
Did Chris Shays decide not to run?
Malloy has a slightly positive approval rating though, 48-46.
I think this should be enough to survive in a highly Democratic state.
Sure, if by a "highly Democratic state," you mean one where Malloy was the first Democrat elected governor in nearly a quarter century.
I don't think that Shays was even considering a run. His massive primary loss to Linda McMahon in 2012 is a good indication that a moderate Republican, even in a Presidential election year, will struggle mightily to win his party's nomination.
Oldies, while you are correct to point out that Democrats have struggled to win the Governor's mansion, keep in mind that Democrats hold a gigantic advantage among registered voters here, no Republican has won election to a statewide office or Congressional seat since 2006, and that the Republican presidential nominee has been beaten in Connecticut by at least 10 points for the past five consecutive elections. The statement that this is a "heavily Democratic state" is not really up for dispute. That said, this will be a very close election, and I think that the margin of victory will once again be very small. The prescription for victory for Democrats is pretty simple - knock on every door in Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven and get those "urban" voters out to the polls.
I'll do my part for Democrats, as a newly registered Republican, by voting for Boughton in the primary.