In the United States House of Representatives elections, 1998, she challenged Congressman Bob Franks in his bid for a fourth term, running as a pro-choice Democrat.
[4] She was endorsed by The New York Times, which wrote "Ms. Connelly, the Mayor of Fanwood and a retired AT&T executive, is firmer in her support for civil liberties and abortion rights.
Democratic Party leaders originally backed Connelly in her 2000 Congressional bid, until in September 1999, when Franks announced his candidacy for New Jersey's vacant U.S. Senate seat.
Democratic Party leaders, no longer considering Franks' seat to be unwinnable, decided to support Union County Manager Michael Lapolla for Congress instead of Connelly.
[6] The primary drew national attention when the Lapolla campaign ran a parody ad of game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
in which Connelly, played by an actress who spoke in a "ditzy", was portrayed as "an indecisive airhead" who, when asked a question, replied, "Ooh, that's hard."
The New York Times endorsed her candidacy writing "Ms. Connelly has a solid record of public service in Fanwood, and she would be a steady voice against Social Security privatization and the anti-abortion forces in Congress that her opponent would join.
[15] Democratic State Committee Chairman Thomas Giblin asserted it was the illegal loan that enabled Ferguson to win.