Congresswoman Esty won’t seek re-election

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, right, in a 2014 file photo in the State Capitol. U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, right, in a 2014 file photo in the State Capitol. Photo: Autumn Driscoll / Autumn Driscoll Buy photo Photo: Autumn Driscoll / Autumn Driscoll Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Congresswoman Esty won’t seek re-election 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON — Amid faltering support from fellow Democrats, Rep. Elizabeth Esty sent shock waves through the world of Connecticut politics and nationwide Monday by announcing she will not seek re-election for a fourth term in Congress.

Esty, who prided herself on her ability to reach bipartisan consensus, was unable to convince party members and constituents that she was taking responsibility for her actions in smoothing the exit of former chief of staff Tony Baker, accused of sexually abusing a female staffer.

“Too many women have been harmed by harassment in the workplace,” Esty said in a statement. “In the terrible situation in my office, I could have and should have done better.”

Esty fired Baker in 2016 after learning he abused a subordinate, Anna Kain. What had begun as a consensual office affair turned into shouting in the office and one instance of Baker allegedly striking Kain on the back.

It culminated in a May 5, 2016, incident during a staff celebration on Capitol Hill. Baker was drunk and abusive at the bar where the reunion of current and former staff took place. After colleagues escorted him out, he called or texted Kain 50 times threatening to find her and kill her.

Esty acknowledged blame for keeping Baker on the payroll three months after the incident. And she also took responsibility for writing a positive job recommendation, and verbally backing him for a position in Ohio with Newtown-based Sandy Hook Promise.

Also, Esty gave Baker a $5,000 taxpayer-supported severance which she paid back to the U.S. Treasury last week out of her own pocket.

Esty has stayed largely out of sight since news of the Baker episode broke Thursday.

‘Untenable’ position

The statement Monday said she would decline interviews. A text message offering an interview brought forth a reply of “thanks.”

Sources familiar with Esty’s thinking said that although she initially felt she could survive the firestorm of revelations last week in Hearst Connecticut Media and the Washington Post, she realized Monday that her position increasingly was “untenable” -- with Democrats joining Republicans in calling for her departure.

“This decision is the right one,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who said Friday he was “deeply disappointed” in news reports of the Tony Baker exit.

“Elizabeth knows she handled the dismissal of her former chief of staff badly,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, who along with Esty owns a home in Cheshire. “The decision she made today is the right one for her.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who was a mentor of sorts for the much younger Esty, called victim Anna Kain’s experience “heartbreaking.”

And DeLauro said the now-29-year-old woman “showed great courage by coming forward” with her story.

“Congresswoman Esty made a difficult decision, but the right one for her and the constituents of her district,” DeLauro said.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also said Esty’s decision not to seek re-election “is the right one.”

High anxiety

The mood among the 10 or so staff members inside Esty’s Washington office was described as “pretty somber” by a source familiar with Esty’s Washington operation, who asked not to be identified.

Idealistic staffers had bought in to the image of Esty as a fighter for women’s empowerment and gun violence prevention as representative of Newtown, as well as a capable “can-do” navigator of the daunting bipartisan divide.

“People were angry over how it was handled; for a lot of them, last week was the first time they learned details of the case,’’ the source said. “People were torn, sad, anxious, but in some ways relieved. Now they’re anxious about what comes next for them.”

Esty handily won re-election in 2016 in the purplish 5th Congressional District that encompasses Danbury and the northwestern part of the state.

The 41-town district has been represented by Democrats since 2007. Esty won her 2016 re-election over Republican Clay Cope by 38,599 votes. Prior to Esty, the seat was held by now-U.S. Sen. Murphy.

Democratic leaders are pondering potential successors to Esty who could emerge in the May party convention. One potential candidate could be state Rep. Michelle Cook of Torrington, party leaders said.

While earlier on Monday she asked for the expedited House ethics hearing, the drumbeat of Connecticut Democratic leaders reached a crescendo when Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk joined other leaders asking for her resignation.

Republicans turned the issue into a political attack for the fall. Matt Gorman, communications director for the Republican National Congressional Committee, said it was a “sad” occasion for the 700,000-person 5th District of northwestern and central Connecticut.

"Elizabeth Esty’s coverup over her staffer’s domestic violence scandal was as reprehensible as it was morally bankrupt,” he said. “The NRCC is ready to win this competitive seat this fall. Democrats won’t be able to distance themselves from the stain Esty left on their brand."

Proud accomplishments

Although not as committed a feminist as her neighbor and mentor, DeLauro, Esty prided herself in working with Republicans to pass bills promoting “women’s empowerment,” greater science and technology opportunities for women and girls, and breaking up the sex-trafficking pipeline along U.S. highways.

Esty had also talked about how she herself had to resist inappropriate come-ons by a male law partner at a New York firm while a student at Yale Law School.

In her statement, Esty, 58, reflected on her slow rise in politics, from Cheshire town council to the Connecticut General Assembly to the halls of Congress starting in 2013 — less than a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting on Dec. 14, 2012.

“From being a room parent in a first grade classroom to serving on the library board, town council, state house and U.S. Congress, I went into public service to fight for equality, justice, and fairness,” Esty said. “However, I have determined that it is in the best interest of my constituents and my family to end my time in Congress at the end of this year and not seek re-election.”

Baker, in a statement Monday, said he had previously apologized to Kain, Esty and others he may have hurt or adversely affected.

“While there are still many who I owe apologies to, I do not expect forgiveness from anyone, whether they are survivors like Anna or victims like Elizabeth and others,” Baker said. “I can only hope that my actions moving forward and over a lifetime of recovery can prove that I am a better man than I was during the time that I worked on Capitol Hill.”