- Associated Press - Tuesday, September 2, 2014

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Republican political action committee has again waded into the Connecticut governor’s race, launching a TV ad on Tuesday that attacks Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s tax policies.

Grow Connecticut, which has received backing from the Republican Governors Association, released a video quoting unidentified people criticizing Malloy for tax increases approved in 2011 by Malloy and the Democratic-led legislature. The 30-second ad does not mention Republican candidate Tom Foley.

The video begins with Malloy saying as a candidate in 2010 that he will not necessarily raise taxes.

“I want to be very clear,” he said. “We’re not raising taxes. That’s the last thing we will do.”

Mark Bergman, a spokesman for the Malloy campaign, said the governor did not break any promises. He emphasized that the tax increases were indeed the last thing Malloy and lawmakers did.

“When he took office he faced one of the worst per-person deficits in the nation,” Bergman said. “He kept his promise to balance the budget without cutting aid to cities, towns, schools, firefighters and police officers, all of which Mr. Foley would undo.”

Malloy and lawmakers raised taxes on income and sales by $2.6 billion over two years to help cover a projected $3.3 billion budget deficit inherited from previous administrations.

The November contest between Malloy and Foley is expected to be close, drawing in groups known as independent expenditure-only committees to raise unlimited amounts of money from wealthy contributors and political organizations to finance ads attacking or supporting the candidates.

In mid-August, Grow Connecticut began running a 30-second spot that focused on Malloy’s support for higher taxes and what it says is Connecticut’s low ranking as a place to do business.

Malloy has said he will not approve additional tax increases. But Foley says in an online petition, also released Tuesday, that the governor has “been anything but clear” about taxes.

The petition, asking “Whose Taxes Will Dan Malloy Raise Next?” solicits Connecticut residents to protest what Foley calls “Malloy’s massive tax increase.”

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