Hartford - Ned Lamont, the Greenwich cable executive who rose to national prominence when he knocked off Sen. Joe Lieberman in a 2006 primary campaign, has set his sights on the governor's office.

Lamont, a Democrat, confirmed Wednesday that he has filed papers to form an exploratory committee for a statehouse run in 2010, jumping into an increasingly crowded field of Democrats vying for the nomination.

Across the aisle, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell remains mum about her plans, with a spokesman saying she would reveal "by the end of the month" if she intends to run for re-election next year.

In an interview, Lamont said his reasons for entering the gubernatorial contest are economic. The recent Moody's report warning of a potential downgrade of the state's bond rating described "a fiscal train wreck in slow motion," Lamont said, adding that he thought neither Rell nor the legislature had shown seriousness in attempting to generate job growth or to balance the 2010 budget.

"They borrowed $3 billion, used a lot of one-shot (revenues) and kicked the can down the road," Lamont said of the General Assembly and Rell.

"Look, I'm somebody who's devoted his life to creating jobs, and I think I bring that perspective, an entrepreneur's perspective, to the political discourse," he said. "I'm going to challenge the political class. We've got to reform the way we do business in the state of Connecticut. And we've got to get an honest budget."

Lamont's entry into the race brought initial gestures of welcome from potential Democratic rivals.

"We are facing an extremely challenging time and I welcome Ned into the debate about how we can get Connecticut back onto the road to recovery," said Secretary of the State Susan L. Bysiewicz, who has also formed an exploratory committee, in a statement supplied by a spokeswoman.

Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy and First Selectman Rudy Marconi of Ridgefield also released statements saying they welcome Lamont into the contest. The field also includes former House Speaker James A. Amann of Milford, still the only declared Democratic candidate in the race, and state Sen. Gary LeBeau of East Hartford.

But potential front-runners like Malloy and Bysiewicz will soon move to draw distinctions with Lamont, still seen as fresh political face despite the fleeting victory over Lieberman. (Lieberman stayed in the race in 2006, cobbling together a coalition of Republicans, independents and Democrats to win as a petitioning candidate.)

"I've been assuming for some time that he would be (jumping into the race) and it changes nothing," said Roy Occhiogrosso, a consultant to Malloy. "Dan is still the only potential candidate for the job who has actually done the job that a governor has to do. Dan Malloy has proposed and balanced budgets, managed a bureaucracy, created thousands of jobs and built affordable housing across an entire city. I didn't know that cable companies did that."

Amann, who backed Lieberman in the Senate primary, had harsher things to say about Lamont and his backers at the time.

"Shame on all of us if we allow a shrieking minority in this party to hijack this primary," Amann declared in 2006, as he and Democratic luminaries, including former President Bill Clinton, rallied to try to save Lieberman's primary campaign.

In an interview, Lamont said his exploratory committee would comply with the terms of those already raising money for the other candidates. But he said a decision on whether or not to participate in the state's public financing program after formally declaring his candidacy would wait until next year. The question is not academic for Lamont or his opponents; the businessman piled roughly $14 million of his own money into the 2006 Senate race.

Other campaigns will seemingly be watching Lamont's moves.

"I think Dan has shown that all of the potential candidates will compete within the same system," was all Occhiogrosso, the Malloy adviser, would say.

t.mann@theday.com