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HARTFORD Connecticut Republicans have not won the state attorney generals office in more than 60 years as they have been defeated by big-name Democrats like Joe Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal.

But they think this year could be different with attorney Jessica Kordas of Norwalk battling against incumbent Democrat William Tong as Republicans believe they have political momentum at a time of weak poll ratings for President Joe Biden.

Democrats dispute that notion; they have a wide voter registration advantage over Republicans and have swept every statewide and Congressional office since 2006. In addition, Tong has won multiple high-profile settlements over the past four years, including more than $40 billion from multiple drug manufacturers and distributors in a national settlement in connection with deaths from opioids.

Jessica Kordas, Republican candidate for Connecticut attorney general, stands with her children as she is nominated at the State Republican Convention on May 6. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) (Jessica Hill/AP)

A first-time candidate at the age of 39, Kordas said deep concerns about mask requirements imposed on her two children, aged 8 and 10, and their classmates in the public schools sparked her interest in politics during the coronavirus pandemic.

I really got involved this January with fighting against mask mandates, Kordas told The Courant in an interview. Ive been fighting to protect and defend the constitution my entire career. ... In this particular instance, it was hearing my kids cheer when we found out we could choose whether or not to wear masks. We all know that families are unique. Parents should be in a position to make choices. They know their kids and their family situation better than anyone else, and certainly better than administrators at a school and definitely better than the governor making mandates under executive orders.

Kordas is also concerned about the multiple extensions of Gov. Ned Lamonts extraordinary powers, which have since ended. She criticized Tong as a rubber stamp for the governors abuse of power. Part of the reason why the extensions were made six times in 2020 and 2021 by the Democratic-controlled legislature was so that Connecticut could continue a state of emergency in order to qualify for more than $50 million in federal funding that included food stamps for the poor and temporary housing for the homeless.

My freedom is not for sale, Kordas said. I dont intend to sell my childrens freedom, either, simply for the benefit of federal funds coming into our state. Thats not the intention of executive power. It felt so wrong that the attorney general in that particular case did nothing. He certainly didnt protect small businesses from having to be closed and sheltered for so long. He didnt protect children that werent being properly educated, that were having trouble learning different phonics. If you cant see someones mouth, its really hard to understand the difference between the M and N sound from behind a mask. It left parents in a position where we didnt have a choice. We had to stand up and do something.

Told of his opponents concerns about mask mandates, Tong responded, I believe in science. I believe in masks. I believe in vaccines. I believe in trusting public health professionals. Period.

Tong stressed that, under state law, he is required to represent the governor and all state agencies, such as the departments of transportation and social services. When the governor is sued in his official capacity, Tong and his office must legally defend the governor regardless of whether the office holder is Republican or Democrat.

Ive heard some suggestion that I should have opposed the governor or that I had an obligation to oppose the governor, Tong said. Anybody who suggests that has no idea what the job of attorney general is.

Tong said he would not get into a back-and-forth with Kordas on every point, adding, Im going to run by doing my job.

In a state where Democrats have won every election for Congress and statewide office since 2006, party members believe there is little chance that Tong could lose. Democrats have more than 800,000 registered voters, compared to Republicans with about 455,000 in Connecticut. The largest group is unaffiliated voters at more than 900,000.

Aside from Democrats, Tong has won the endorsement of the union-backed Working Families Party, giving him an important extra ballot line in November. He also held the partys line in 2018, helping ensure his victory with the grassroots assistance of volunteers through door-knocking and phone-banking.

Outside of the state, Tong is supported by the Democratic Attorneys General Association.

Hes fearlessly protected his states consumers on everything from utility bills to potential online crimes and scams, said Sean Rankin, the associations president. Hes brought millions back to Connecticuts residents in settlements, and hes going to continue putting Connecticut families first when hes reelected.

State attorney general William Tong stands with Christine Gagnon and her daughter Daria during the announcement of the signing of aproclamationdeclaring Aug. 31 as Overdose Awareness Day in Connecticut. The Gagnons lost their son and brother, Michael J. Gagnon, 22, to a drug overdose on July 17, 2017. (Douglas Hook / Hartford Courant) (Douglas Hook)

Sitting in a West Hartford restaurant near where he grew up, Tong talked in detail about the large number of settlements he has reached in major cases. In addition, after three decades of fights, negotiations and litigation, Tong settled the Sheff vs. ONeill school desegregation lawsuit and the Juan F. consent decree that oversaw the Department of Children and Families under multiple governors.

In terms of multistate work and settlements, this has been an extraordinary and consequential four years, Tong said in an interview. It has been transformative.

The most recent settlement requires e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs to pay nearly $440 million in connection with marketing and selling to minors as officials attempt to cut down on youth tobacco use.

Tong also forced utilities to pay more than $100 million for problems with slow responses to power outages related to Tropical Storm Isaias. He has won money for consumers from Eversource, United Illuminating, Yankee Gas and Frontier.

From consumer finance and health care to student loans and robocalls, Tong and his team have won hundreds of millions in settlements for consumers and the state. He led a multistate lawsuit against price-fixing by large manufacturers known as Big Pharma and generic drug-makers.

Currently, he is battling against some of the biggest names in America in antitrust cases against Google and Facebook, along with investigating allegations of harm to children by TikTok and Instagram. He also sued ExxonMobil in September 2020, saying that the company knew for decades that burning gasoline leads to climate change.

Tong credits his success, in part, to an understanding of a wide variety of legal issues, gained as the co-chairman of the General Assemblys judiciary committee, and of how corporations operate, gained while working for two large law firms, including New York City-based Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

State Attorney General William Tong was interrupted at a restaurant table by a West Hartford native who complained about her home heating oil prices for this winter in a handwritten note she presented to him on a napkin. (Christopher Keating)

The biggest issue arguably has been opioids as Tong said he has been seeking even greater accountability against the addiction industry in the face of significant opposition from other states and played a pivotal role in securing a historic $32.5 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic across the country, including approximately $400 million to Connecticut alone.

He added, Through my negotiations, I also secured the opportunity for victims and their families to personally address the most egregious profiters in this tragedy: the Sacklers.

Whether by telephone or email, Tong receives a wide variety of complaints from consumers about price gouging or poor service.

During an interview with The Courant at a restaurant, Tong was approached by a West Hartford native who complained about the jaw-dropping price increases in her home heating oil for this winter in a handwritten note that she presented to him on a napkin. Tong promised to look into the issue.

This is what we do every day, Tong said. I have a dedicated team that focuses on utility customer advocacy, and we have a dedicated constituent services team.

Saying, "This stinks and I promise you I will fight it with every fiber of my being," Ken Krayeske speaks out against a proposed minor league baseball stadium in Hartford at a Hartford City Council meeting in 2014. (Courant file photo) (Mark Mirko / Hartford Courant)

The third candidate in the race is attorney Ken Krayeske,running as a member of the Green Party, which has not won a statewide race in Connecticut in decades.

The Green Party has 1,233 registered members a tiny fraction when compared to more than 800,000 Democrats, more than 455,000 Republicans, and more than 900,000 unaffiliated voters.

Since the Green Party captured more than 1% of the vote in the attorney generals race in 2018, the party has an automatic ballot line for the seat.

Krayeske is not a newcomer to politics. As a blogger and political activist, he gained attention in January 2007 when he was arrested during Gov. M. Jodi Rells inaugural parade. But some lawmakers said he never should have been arrested for breach of peace and interfering with police, and the charges were dismissed by a judge.

In 2010, he ran against U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, a Democratic powerhouse, and captured 1.2% of the vote. Krayeske also served as the campaign manager during the 2006 governors race for Green Party candidate Cliff Thornton, who won 0.85% of the vote.

Krayeske is known partly for asking UConn mens basketball coach Jim Calhoun in February 2009 if he would relinquish some of his $1.6 million salary as the states highest-paid employee as a gesture to help solve the states budget deficit. Calhouns response that he would return not a dime became national news in the sports world and is still available on YouTube 13 years later.

As Krayeske persisted in his questioning in a quickly escalating clash, Calhoun said, Youre not really that stupid, are you?

Yeah, I am, Krayeske responded.

My best advice to you: shut up, Calhoun said.

A year later, Krayeske graduated from the University of Connecticut law schoo and worked for a Meriden law firm. He opened his own firm in July 2013 and now specializes as a solo practitioner in federal civil rights litigation.

His website includes the quotation from a deceased attorney and Harvard Law School graduate who said that a lawyers either a social engineer or ... a parasite on society.

In addition to winning various settlements, Krayeske filed a class-action lawsuit that prompted the state correction department to test and treat all prisoners for hepatitis C. The state has tested about 20,000 prisoners spending $40 million to help cure some prisoners of the liver infection.

When we use the law to lift the health care of the lowest rung of the societal ladder, we take one step closer to Medicare for all, Krayeske said. I encourage the voters of the state to imagine what could be possible if someone like me won the seat.

Krayeske admitted that his race is a long shot, but he vowed to continue fighting to generate a conversation about civil rights and to force a debate with his two opponents that has not yet been scheduled.

We never know who the Tunisian fruit vendor is that is going to spark an Arab Spring, Krayeske said, referring to the uprisings and protests in multiple countries. But we must continue to prime the pump and take risks. I do not suppose for one second that my candidacy is going to spark a revolution. ... But Ive caught lightning in a bottle before.

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com.

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Connecticut Republicans trying to win attorney general's office for first time in more than 60 years in 3-way battle - Hartford Courant