Republican Tom Foley plans to seek a rematch with Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2014, Foley said in an interview. 

“I agree with the governor that the state is in dire straits and we need new leadership,” Foley said in an interview on “Face The State with Dennis House” set to air this weekend. 

Foley, the former ambassador to Ireland, lost a very close gubernatorial race to Malloy in 2010. He suggested that he might have done better had the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor been a woman. 

Recent polling showed Malloy’s approval rating to be below 50 percent, spurring Republican enthusiasm about competing with the Democrat. That said, Connecticut remains a very Democratic state, in which it is very tough for a Republican to win statewide.