BRIDGEPORT — Democratic state Sen. Dennis Bradley has typically had little to say about the campaign finance fraud charges that have hung over his head — and his possible reelection bid — for nearly a year.
But with a prominent local faith leader and activist filing paperwork to run for Bradley’s 23rd District seat, the incumbent this week broke his silence on the pending criminal case and his political future.
“I tell the people, ‘Read the charges lodged against me by the government and you will conclude one of two things: Either it is a misunderstanding of facts or it is a political smear,’” Bradley told Hearst Connecticut Media. “This is not a crime of moral turpitude, an allegation of rape or murder or theft.”
And, Bradley insisted, while he has yet to file for reelection, he is planning on running to retain his position representing portions of Bridgeport and Stratford in the Connecticut General Assembly in Hartford.
“I do it for passion. No other reason,” Bradley said. “I take the business of the people very seriously and I’m ready to fight for them again if they let me.”
But in order to hold on to that job, Bradley, 38, a private attorney, must beat the charges against him as well as challenger Rev. Herron Gaston, who recently established a campaign committee to run for Bradley’s seat.
Ideally, Gaston, 33, said this week, Bradley would do “the moral thing” and step aside “at least until the case is resolved.”
“On a personal level I wish him very well,” Gaston said. “But on a professional level, he’s ineffective in Hartford right now. … His credibility has been irreparably eroded by the sting of this indictment.”
The charges
Following his indictment Bradley was stripped of his legislative leadership posts and committee assignments.
Bradley and his former campaign treasurer, ex-Board of Education member Jessica Martinez, were arrested last May on multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud related to obtaining state campaign grants for his successful initial 2018 legislative bid. Bradley was reelected to another two-year term in 2020.
According to the indictment affidavit, Bradley “and others entered into a conspiracy and scheme to defraud the Connecticut State Election Enforcement Commission, the Citizens’ Election Fund and the State of Connecticut by making misrepresentations concerning Bradley’s compliance with state election law and the Citizens’ Election Program’s statutory restrictions and requirements in order to fraudulently obtain or attempt to obtain $179,850 in campaign grants.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard Boyle has stated, “It is alleged that these defendants not only broke the rules at the outset of Mr. Bradley’s first campaign for the state Senate, but then engaged in an extensive cover up to conceal their illegal behavior and to receive additional public funds.”
Though having pleaded not guilty, Bradley before this week had typically declined public comment on the charges. But he had also hoped to have his day in court before now. The trial was originally scheduled for last August, but Bradley’s attorney sought a delay until December.
Then Martinez’s lawyer in October obtained a continuance until January, and then another continuance until March.
Last month the trial was put off for a fourth time, until June, with jury selection set for May 23, at the request of the prosecution, which pledged at the time to provide the defense with missing material — “more than 1000 pages of financial records inadvertently excluded from its prior productions.”
“I want my trial to come in May with no continuances or any other reason to postpone or delay this process,” Bradley told Hearst Connecticut this week. “I stand by the fact America, this great country, says I am unequivocally innocent until proven otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Similarities
Besides both being in their 30s, Bradley and Gaston have, at least on the surface, plenty else in common.
They are relative newcomers to Bridgeport. The former moved to the city from Massachusetts in the late 2000s. Gaston was raised in Florida, moved to Connecticut about a dozen years ago to attend Yale University in New Haven, and has lived in Bridgeport for around eight of those years.
Bradley and Gaston also fairly aggressively immersed themselves in the community and in Democratic politics.
Bradley worked on U.S. Rep. Jim Himes’ 2008 and 2010 campaigns, and became a caseworker for Himes’ office focused on immigration and Hispanic outreach. Before his election to the state Senate in 2018, he ran unsuccessfully for Connecticut’s House of Representatives in 2014 and made his first, failed attempt for the Senate in 2016.
In between those latter two contests Bradley won a seat on the school board in 2015 and served for a time as its chairman. And prior to his arrest he was considered a potential challenger in 2023 to fellow Democrat Mayor Joe Ganim.
Gaston, who obtained masters degrees in divinity and sacred theology at Yale, which were in addition to degrees from Florida A&M University in pre-law studies, political science and public administration, came to Bridgeport to become pastor of Summerfield United Methodist Church. And he recently obtained his doctor of jurisprudence degree from Quinnipiac University.
He was a prominent supporter of Mayor Joe Ganim’s 2019 reelection bid and subsequently hired by him as assistant chief administrative officer. The chief administrative office, run by Janene Hawkins, helps the mayor manage municipal government.
Gaston this week told Hearst Connecticut it was “inevitable” he would run for elected office. He said that as a pastor he witnesses first hand “bread and butter issues” — lack of meaningful employment, expensive housing prices, public safety issues, inequitable school funding formulas — and believes “one of the ways to really make change is to be part of the policy-making process.”
“I just feel Bridgeport deserves so much more,” Gaston said. “I love this community. I’ve been giving back to this community, rolling up my sleeves, hitting the ground running, trying to make an impact since I’ve been here.”
Bradley argues that, his pending trial aside, no one can challenge “the breadth of work I’ve done up and Hartford and locally” and he looks forward to having that debate with Gaston. He also believes he would be the more independent of the two candidates, given Gaston’s alliance with the Ganim administration.
“I’m not beholden to any political party, the structures of Hartford politics, Bridgeport’s political structure,” Bradley said. “I’m respectful of those structures but I put the people first.”
But Bradley is not without influential insiders on his side, like Ralph Ford, a prominent East End Democratic leader.
“I made it very clear to Gaston I’m supporting Dennis,” Ford said. “My thing is, he’s (Bradley) innocent until proven guilty. He’s been a good senator. He’s been especially good to the East End. … If Dennis wasn’t in this situation, would he (Gaston) be running?”
Meanwhile City Council President Aidee Nieves is for Gaston. She said while it would be nice for the city to have a senator with longevity and connections rather than starting from scratch, if Bradley’s trial starts in June it is unclear how long it will last and he has already been sidelined for too long.
“I wish him no ill will,” Nieves said. “We need to have a new voice that can be able to focus on bringing not just economic, but health dollars, environmental dollars. … They’re both well-educated men. Both men of religion. It is more about the ability to advocate, to sit at the table.”
