Editorial: A legal victory with complications

The Connecticut Superior Court ruling Tuesday validated State Rep. John Santanella's complaint. This is a clear win, and allows him to avoid an August 11 Democratic primary against his challenger, former town attorney Tom Tyler. Tyler can appeal, but absent that, Santanella can shift his focus to November.

But a winning legal outcome is not the same as a winning narrative outcome.

This was an honest mistake by the Tyler campaign, a consequence of some flawed official guidance and a decision to rely on that guidance. The court found that the Democratic registrar provided petition sheets four days before state law allowed, and that the state-supplied forms lacked a legally required statement from circulators on the number of signatures gathered — a defect that invalidated all of Tyler's petitions. The ruling also notes that there was no evidence the Tyler campaign exercised due diligence to confirm the official guidance.

Connecticut election law doesn't allow for honest mistakes; decisions are based on a black & white reading of the law. Santanella was right to bring the challenge. It's likely that any other candidate — regardless of party — would have done the same. It's how our system operates. It demands that all candidates follow the same rules.

But this could be a harder race for Santanella. The Republicans may seek to exploit this and try to win over disaffected Democrats. It might be a motivating force. That's one outcome. This legal dispute may also be quickly forgotten, and have no influence.

The Republicans may see opportunity, especially if the Democrats fail to patch up whatever internal issues helped hatch this primary challenge.

The November contest is just beginning. The Republicans can't run on Democratic turmoil alone. They still need issues to run with that will materially and convincingly help residents. Santanella has a base of support and issues he believes resonate. But he will need his supporters to turn out as he works to mend fences.