Am I the only one who cringes at the thought of a repeat in 2022 of the state's last gubernatorial race, with two rich white men using their personal fortunes to compete in a power-grabbing contest of egos?

I hope not.

And am I the only Democrat who cringes at the thought of our governor, shrouded in a scandal engulfing his administration, losing to a Trumpist Republican or to anyone, for that matter, from a political party that can't even find a collective voice to support an American president in a time of war?

I sure hope not.

We need a real Democrat to run against Lamont and secure the party's gubernatorial nomination. And I have a suggestion.

I certainly have no sympathy for the predicament of Gov. Ned Lamont, whose arrogance toward open and transparent government, with appropriate checks and balances, has helped put him at the center of the roaring fires of scandal.

This governor, a spoiled product of privilege, whose administration has shown contempt for Freedom of Information laws, cut funding for a corruption watchdog agency, ran interference on auditors investigating whistleblower complaints and offered hush money payments to keep a former scandal-enmeshed employee from talking to the news media.

It turns out, as the splashes of high-ranking administration officials jumping from the sinking SS Lamont grow more common, we now know Lamont deputies were made aware of the lack of bidding protocols in huge government spending contracts, even before the FBI started investigating, and did nothing.

Lamont has evidently cultivated a culture of corruption.

Democrats still have time to reset and nominate a candidate who will represent mainstream middle-class values and priorities in Connecticut, rather than a program of subsidies and tax breaks for titans of finance, a Lamont program of corporate welfare presided over by a one-time executive of Goldman Sachs.

Instead, I'd suggest, Democrats can nominate Sen. Cathy Osten, who, rather than indulging an easy career path cushioned by family wealth, has been in the trenches, from military and public service jobs to a long stint in the legislature where she has earned respect as a prominent authority on the budget.

I'd put Osten's long record of engagement and support on issues surrounding social service needs and protecting the environment over Lamont's any day.

She is a good friend of eastern Connecticut's gaming American Indian tribes, whom Lamont insulted for years until he finally needed them to complete a sports betting deal.

Connecticut has always loved its women governors.

It is interesting that the last one, Jodi Rell, was a former legislator who became lieutenant governor under Gov. John Rowland, and then succeeded him after he resigned amid corruption scandals. She was then reelected in her own right.

Osten could be the Democrats' parallel solution to a governor engulfed in a corruption scandal, a woman who can help bring the state back together and work toward bipartisan progress.

There's still time for Democrats to formulate a winning ticket. Make Lamont himself the next splash over the stern of the listing ship.

Lamont beat his Republican challenger by only three points in 2018. This time, he'll be dragging a very heavy ball of scandals that by summer might include indictments. National Republicans already see blood in the water and are swimming toward Connecticut.

Lamont's high favorability ratings from his COVID-19 response are quickly fading in the rearview mirror, and there are enormous roadblocks appearing ahead, as the FBI investigation roars on.

I have to believe that Osten, with the help of ambitious Democrats, who must see Lamont's enormous vulnerability unfolding, can quickly assemble a campaign machine and use public financing opportunities to hit the ground running in a race against Republicans.

Best of all, she's not another rich white guy with a vanity campaign.

Am I the only Democrat who cringes at the idea that the party is going to just complacently accept the unacceptable status quo and go along with Lamont, because, well, he has a fat checkbook?

I sure hope not.

This is the opinion of David Collins.

d.collins@theday.com