'He's In!' Malloy Declares Run for CT Governor

The news may come as no surprise, but it is now official: Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is running for re-election.

The Democrat will once again have Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman as his running mate.

According to a report on the New Haven Register, Malloy made the announcement in response to a question during a routine press at the Capitol Friday morning. Malloy had previously said he would wait till after the 2014 legislative session to announce whether he was running or not.

In a Tweet from the Malloy Campaign, @DanMalloyCT, he writes:

"I'm in! Let's keep CT moving forward. Join my campaign here: http://www.danmalloy2014.com"

The former mayor of Stamford, Malloy is serving his first term as governor. There are several Republicans vying for their party's nomination to unseat him, including Tom Foley, who narrowly lost to Malloy in 2010.

Reacting to the news, Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Jerry Labriola Jr. said:

"Governor Malloy’s announcement that he’s running for re-election doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The governor has been in full campaign mode for the past six months, raising campaign cash from state contractors in a pay-to-play shakedown and misleading voters about his record in a desperate attempt to improve his abysmal approval rating."

A Quinnipiac University Poll released earlier this month found that Malloy was in a dead heat with Foley, and that the governor's approval rating was 48%.

At the time, Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University poll, said, "For Malloy, perhaps the biggest worry is that he’s never been able to get over 50 percent in job approval – a danger sign for any incumbent.”

Labriola's statement concluded: "Governor Malloy faces a difficult challenge over the next 8 months as he tries to run on a record that includes the largest tax hike in state history, $3 billion in spending increases, and an economy that continues to stagnate. Voters know that Connecticut can’t afford four more years of Dan Malloy."