Governor Lamont, who pledged to watch United Technologies "like a hawk," found he had little way to prevent the siege from moving to Boston.

The fallout from the merger quickly became a political issue on Capitol Hill, where Republicans in the legislature accused Lamont and his Democratic colleagues in the legislature. Vin Candelora, a Republican from North Branford, attempted to tie UTC's decision to move its head office to unfunded retirement commitments and other policies that it says hinder economic growth.