This week, state Comptroller Kevin Lembo became the latest Democrat to form an exploratory committee ahead of a potential bid for governor of Connecticut. Lembo has repeatedly clashed with retiring Gov. Dan Malloy, a fellow Democrat who has posted weak approval numbers. Last year, Lembo notably voted against a $22 million incentive package for the huge financial fund Bridgewater Associates, and the two have also come into conflict over the state’s hospital budget and other issues. Lembo has made it clear that he won’t run if Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman seeks the governorship, but his move suggests that he doesn’t think she will. If he makes his campaign official, Lembo will be the state’s first openly gay candidate for governor.

Lembo is the fourth noteworthy Connecticut Democrat to form an exploratory committee. Middletown Mayor Dan Drew began raising money before Malloy made his decision, while former federal prosecutor Chris Mattei and ex-Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris (who also says he’d defer to Wyman) made their moves this month. A number of other Democrats are considering, and we can add another to the list. Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi recently acknowledged he was thinking about it; Marconi filed an exploratory committee for the open 2010 race, but didn’t end up running. Marconi describes himself as more “purple” politically than red or blue, which could be a drawback in a primary.