WESTPORT–John Bolton, a Westport attorney and member of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, is running for Connecticut attorney general.

Bolton, a Republican, made an unsuccessful run for state representative against Democratic incumbent Jonathan Steinberg two years ago, and said “a lot of issues that came up in that campaign cross-reference with the attorney general’s office. The idea was planted back then.”

He entered the race accusing incumbent Democrat William Tong of allowing politics to guide the attorney general’s office and for spending too much time on lawsuits against the Trump administration. 

“It’s all political advocacy and I have a real problem about that,” he said. “That’s not what we’re there for. We’re there to uphold the rule of law.”

Connecticut faces many concerns from electricity rates, cost of living, traffic and more, he said, adding, “I think the attorney general is charged with straightening out a lot of this so it’s the law that’s driving you.”

To Bolton, it’s not a matter of supporting or opposing Trump, but of what a state attorney general’s mission should be.

“I’m not sure that a state should be opining about tariffs,” he said.

Tong spokesperson Elizabeth Benton declined to address Bolton’s specific points.

“The Attorney General is not a candidate for any office at this time,” Benton said. “He is focused on doing his job protecting Connecticut families from the extraordinary threats that we face.”

In other matters, he said Tong should have acted aggressively last year when Marissa Gillet, former chair of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, deleted texts that were being sought in a court case.

“If I’m the attorney general and that happens, there’s going to be an immediate internal review,” Bolton said. “If you really stand for what you claim to stand up for, that’s got to be a priority.”

Bolton also plans to focus on election integrity. He said issues with voting need to be addressed even if there’s no evidence that the problems were large enough to sway the outcomes.

“There’s a loss of confidence right now in our electoral system and you have to restore it,” he said.

Bolton has been an attorney for 35 years, mostly as an independent lawyer, but with stints as in-house council for companies in upstate New York and Alabama.

A native of West Hartford, Bolton has lived in Westport since 1997. He has served on the Planning and Zoning Commission since 2021, first as an alternate, and as a full commissioner since 2023.