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HARTFORD Republican Tom Foley has been out of the headlines for nearly three months, returning to private life in Greenwich after losing a bitter governor's race to incumbent Dannel P. Malloy.

But Foley re-emerged on the political scene last week to announce a new executive director for a policy think tank he created and to greet some old friends.

"This is the first time I've been back to Hartford since the election,'' Foley told about 25 supporters at the officers club at the state armory.

He announced that Kian Hudson, a third-year student at Yale Law School, will take over for Ben Zimmer, a Yale Law graduate who ran the think tank for more than three years.

Foley said that since the election he has been spending more time on his business ventures, including Stevens Aviation Inc., an airline services company he has owned for more than 25 years.

He said he also intends to get back into Republican fundraising, where he made his name as a major fundraiser for President George W. Bush before being named by Bush as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

Foley has been facing a dilemma while waiting for the field of Republican presidential candidates to shake out because he has close relationships with two of the top contenders: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. A third close associate, Mitt Romney, announced Friday he would not run again for president.

"I do know all three of them pretty well,'' Foley said last week. "The good news there is that we've got a lot of depth on the Republican side. Any one of them would be a great president.''

Foley, 63, said he has not had any confidential discussions on the precise plans of the Republican candidates.

"It looks like Jeb Bush is in,'' Foley said. "I think Chris Christie is in. He's extremely politically talented and a good natural leader. He's certainly very clear about where he stands on things. I think, politically, he's going to be very strong.''

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Tom Foley Returns To Hartford, Meets With Supporters