Fox appearance doesn’t just raise Danbury’s profile, but Boughton’s too

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, far right, with Fox business show host Maria Bartiromo (center), on Thursday morning, discussing the citys bid for Amazon's second world headquarters, and his run for governor in 2018. less Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, far right, with Fox business show host Maria Bartiromo (center), on Thursday morning, discussing the citys bid for Amazon's second world headquarters, and his run for governor ... more Photo: Fox Business Network Photo: Fox Business Network Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Fox appearance doesn’t just raise Danbury’s profile, but Boughton’s too 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

DANBURY — Mayor Mark Boughton’s eight minutes of fame on a Fox Business program Thursday did more than promote the city’s bid to bring Amazon’s $5 billion headquarters here.

Boughton’s appearance on “Mornings with Maria” also elevated the longtime GOP mayor’s profile as a likely candidate for the 2018 governor’s race.

“Are you going to run for governor against Malloy?” Anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Boughton on the program Thursday.

“We’re looking very closely at that race and we will see what happens there,” Boughton said during a segment about cities bidding for Seattle-based Amazon’s second world headquarters. “We think there is an opportunity and we think it is time that we make Connecticut great again.”

Boughton noted, however, that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is not running for re-election.

The mayor’s Fox appearance came the same day Malloy unveiled details about the state’s pitch to Amazon, which makes Stamford and Hartford the preferred locations for the new headquarters.

Amazon had set Thursday as the deadline for cities to bid for its second headquarters, which could employ up to 50,000 well-paid workers. After being passed over by the state, both Danbury and Bridgeport submitted their own proposals.

Boughton last month released a video making the case for why Danbury should be considered.

“So, Alexa, where is the best place for Amazon to locate its second world headquarters?” Boughton asks on the video. “Danbury, Connecticut,” the voice service responds.

Danbury’s creativity, which also included mailing Amazon a key to the city, earned Boughton the spot on “Mornings with Maria.”

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, so we are going to take our shot,” Boughton said on the program. “The economic spinoff and derivative will be incredible, and transform Connecticut. I think this will lead the Connecticut comeback.”

Connecticut Comeback, by the way, is the slogan for Boughton’s exploratory campaign for governor in 2018.

In the final two minutes of the Fox segment, the conversation turned to Boughton’s likely run for governor. When asked by Bartiromo if he would cut taxes if elected, Boughton responded, “Oh, I’ll eliminate the income tax. We have a plan to eliminate the income tax over the next 10 years and bring people back to Connecticut.”

Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com

Boughton has raised $195,000 toward the $250,000 mark he needs in small contributions to qualify for $8 million in state election grants. He repeated his position on Thursday that he will not make an announcement until the end of January.

The way the subject morphed from a national story about Amazon’s request for proposals to Boughton’s plans to fix Connecticut’s economic crisis showed his ability to seize the opportunity, said the state’s GOP leader.

“Mark is certainly well-versed on the issues, and he represented himself well,” said J.R. Romano, the Connecticut Republican party chairman. “He’s capitalizing on the opportunities.”

Romano, whose party has a growing field of contenders for the state’s highest office, would not go any further in his assessment of Boughton as a candidate, except to say that Boughton represented himself and the party position well.

“Speaking about the economic disaster the state has become under Democratic leadership was spot on,” Romano said.

The Fox episode was not all about Danbury. A few minutes were devoted to a pitch by Tulsa, Okla., for the Amazon bid.

At one point, Fox Business roundtable contributor Kevin Kelly said he would move to Connecticut if Boughton was elected governor and eliminated the income tax.

Romano said he noticed that comment.

“There is no question that people outside our state are watching what is happening in Connecticut,” Romano said.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342