With candidate's exploratory and committee forms accepted by the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) on March 6, Branford's Jacey Wyatt is seeking a gubernatorial candidate endorsement and Democratic nomination for next year's Connecticut state election.

Wyatt said reports by some news agencies have been describing her decision as declaring candidacy. She said she's working to dial that back.

"They're blowing it way out of proportion; that it's done and I'm a candidate and I'm on the ballot. They went out and declared it and announced it," Wyatt told Zip06/The Sound today.

"My decision to run for Governor is correct; but all we did is file the exploratory and committee forms at the state of Connecticut to seek the nomination of the Democrats to run for Governor," said Wyatt.

Wyatt recognizes that being a transgender woman has been helping to fan the news and create headlines.  She says her decision to seek the gubernatorial nomination of the Democratic party for the 2018 race is not based in her gender identity but instead on her conviction the Democrats will put her on the ballot as the best woman for the job, who is also transgender.

"If the word 'transgender' needs to be part of this campaign these days, I'm okay with that, but there's much more about me that you should find equally important," said Wyatt.

A 46 year-old Branford native, Wyatt currently serves on Branford's Parks and Open Space Authority, an appointed position. In 2011, after several years seeking appointments for town board and commission positions, Wyatt changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican and was supported by Branford's Republican Town Committee (RTC) as its tax collector candidate, but did not win the race. In 2013, she established the Independent Branford Voters Party. Wyatt made two attempts to win the town's First Selectman's seat as an independent candidate in 2013 and 2015 (see the stories here and here) taking losses both times.

Her career experience includes her years in business, as a retailer, as a former fashion model (retired 2010).

A graduate of New York Institute of Technology, Wyatt holds a B.S. in architecture, a B.A. in interior design, and a B.A. in landscape architecture. She founded her first company, jcwyatt Signatures, in 1995, with businesses in Branford for 17 years (jcwyatt and jcwyatt Chocolatier).

Wyatt and her team are now working to take the next needed steps to get the Democratic nomination. In the coming months, the committee will launch a statewide contribution campaign to raise close to $250,000 to qualify as a gubernatorial candidate through the state's Citizens Election Program. She will also be rolling out a platform focused on facilitating state wide redevelopment and growth.