Dan Drew (politician)

For other people named Daniel Drew, see Daniel Drew (disambiguation).

Daniel Thomas Drew (born 1979) is an American politician from Connecticut and the former mayor of Middletown, Connecticut. Drew was elected mayor in 2011 and was re-elected in 2013 and 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

The Honorable Dan Drew
Mayor of Middletown
In office November 15, 2011 – November 12, 2019
Preceded by	Sebastian Giuliano
Succeeded by	Ben Florsheim
Personal details
Born	Daniel T. Drew (1979-12-26) December 26, 1979 (age 44) New York City City
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Kate Drew
Children	4
Education	University of Connecticut, Storrs (BA) Columbia University (MS)
Website	Official website

In July 2017, Drew announced his candidacy for Governor of Connecticut, withdrawing from the race in January 2018.^[1][2]

Early life and education

Dan Drew was born in New York City and was raised in New York and Connecticut.^[3][4]

At age 18, Drew volunteered as an EMT in Connecticut.^[4]

He attended the University of Connecticut (UConn) where he served as the editor-in-chief of The Daily Campus student newspaper, graduating in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in political science.^[3][5] On May 3, 2002, while still a UConn student Drew appeared on the Fox News television show The O'Reilly Factor and defended a fellow student's right to free speech despite the controversial content of the student's student-activity-fee-funded TV show.^[6][7][8]

In 2015, Drew graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in organizational psychology.^[9][3][4]

Political career

In 2009, Drew ran against incumbent mayor Sebastian Giuliano and lost 52–47%. He ran again in 2011, defeating Giuliano 53-46%.^{[10][11][12][13]} Facing no major party opponent, Drew was re-elected in 2013 with over 80 percent of the vote.^[14] In 2015, he was elected to a four-year term as Middletown voters approved an increase in the mayor's term.^[3][15]

In 2016, Drew made news when he donated a kidney to one of his constituents.^[16]

In 2018 Drew gave a TED talk at Wesleyan University on the misconceptions surrounding kidney donation.^{[17] [18]}

On January 12, 2017, Drew announced he was forming an exploratory committee to run for Governor of Connecticut.^{[9][19][20][21]}

On July 12, 2017, Drew announced that he was running for Governor of Connecticut^[22] in the 2018 election. He withdrew from the race on January 12, 2018, exactly one year after forming an exploratory committee to run, stating that, "Ultimately it became very difficult to raise the required funds to qualify for public financing."^[2]

In 2019 Drew was named Co-Chair of the Board of Connecticut DonateLife. ^[23]

Electoral history

Middletown, Connecticut Mayoral Election, 2009
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Sebastian Giuliano	4,388	52.3
Democratic	Dan Drew	3,902	46.5
Realistic Balance	Ruthann Johnson	104	1.2

Middletown, Connecticut Mayoral Election, 2011
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Dan Drew	4,959	52.5
Republican	Sebastian Giuliano (inc.)	4,317	45.7
Unaffiliated	Christine Berry Bourne	172	1.9

Middletown, Connecticut Mayoral Election, 2013
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Dan Drew (inc.)	5,102	84.2
Realistic Balance	John Kilian	955	15.8

Middletown, Connecticut Mayoral Election, 2015
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Dan Drew (inc.)	5,880	63.1
Republican	Sandra Russo-Driska	3,430	36.8
Unaffiliated	Brian Clark	3	0.03

References

1. "Starting Run for Governor, Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew Pledges Fight for Middle Class". July 12, 2017.
2. Polansky, Rob (January 12, 2018). "Middletown's mayor bows out of gubernatorial race". WFSB. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
3. "Middletown Mayor Dan Drew considering gubernatorial run". The Middletown Press. June 21, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
4. "Dan Drew bio" (PDF). City of Middletown. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
5. "Profile: Daniel Drew". NewDEAL. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
6. O'Reilly Factor - May 3, 2002. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021.
7. Vigdor, By Neil (September 29, 2017). "GOP criticizes Drew over 2002 O'Reilly debate". Connecticut Post.
8. "Middletown mayor blasts statements Dan Drew made to O'Reilly in 2002 (With video)". October 17, 2011.
9. "Democrat Dan Drew Forms Exploratory Bid for Governor". Hartford Courant. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
10. "2009 Municipal Election Democratic Results" (PDF). City of Middletown. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
11. "2009 Municipal Election Republican Results" (PDF). City of Middletown. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
12. "2009 Municipal Election Minor Party Results" (PDF). City of Middletown. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
13. "2015 Municipal Election Results" (PDF). City of Middletown. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
14. "2013 Municipal Election Results" (PDF). City of Middletown. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
15. "2011 Municipal Election Results" (PDF). City of Middletown. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
16. "Above and beyond in public service: Middletown Mayor donates kidney to local mother". September 20, 2016.
17. "Students Organize TEDxWesleyanU, Host Distinguished Speakers". News @ Wesleyan. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
18. Drew, Dan (May 14, 2018), The Truth About Organ Donation, retrieved November 18, 2021
19. "Middletown Mayor Dan Drew explores run for Connecticut governor; Malloy mum on decision". The Middletown Press. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
20. "Middletown Mayor Dan Drew explores run for Connecticut governor". New Haven Register. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
21. "Dan Drew nudges Malloy with exploratory committee for 2018". The Connecticut Mirror. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
22. "Middletown Mayor Dan Drew Running for Governor". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
23. "Donate Life Connecticut | Connecticut | Donate Life". donatelifect. Retrieved November 18, 2021.

External links

• Campaign website
• Official page at City of Middletown
• Wesleyan Newsletter Blog
• "Students Organize TEDxWesleyanU, Host Distinguished Speakers". News @ Wesleyan. Retrieved November 18, 2021.