Politics

Mark Ojakian threw back his head and laughed when asked how he became point man for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's efforts to wring $1 billion from state employees. "I don't know," Ojakian said. "I kept saying to the governor, 'I thought you liked me.' "

Most people do, in fact, seem to like Ojakian, a fixture in state government and politics for 31 years, whether it's his opposite number in the unions or a Republican legislator who says Malloy has chosen a negotiator without "an ounce of animus."

MERIDEN -- House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan scribbled notes Tuesday night in the front row of a packed school auditorium as his constituents repeatedly assailed Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, demanding higher taxes on the rich and relief for the middle class.

Donovan, a leading progressive in the legislature, has yet to voice such strong disagreement with Malloy's tax plan, but he hardly seemed distressed by the rough reception his working-class district accorded the governor, a fellow Democrat.

Democrats and Republicans are declaring an end to the push for ever-earlier presidential primaries, which sent Connecticut voters to the polls before Valentine's Day in 2008--and ended Chris Dodd's candidacy two days after New Year's Day.

With a mix of incentives and penalties, the parties are trying to ensure that all but a handful of caucuses and primaries are held between March 6 and June 12, requiring the legislature to move Connecticut's primary back at least by one month.