8:17 PM: Welcome to the Live Blog for tonight. This is where we will follow the election results and provide some commentary about the races tonight. In Connecticut, election night results speed tends to be unpredictable, but we will see what happens.

As a reminder, there are two special elections in the state tonight. If you would like a more detailed understanding of the races tonight, we had a previous article published on Feb 12th breaking down the races for today.

In brief, In the 21st State Senate Seat, The Republican nominee is State Rep. Jason Perillo (R-Shelton) who will face off against the Democratic nominee Stratford Town Councilor Anthony Afriyie. President Trump carried the district in November with 49.6% to Harris’ 49.06%. However, the Republican party is a strong down-ballot in this region, holding the seat since 1966. In addition, Kevin Kelly was the only Republican State Senator unopposed in the 2024 Election Cycle. It should be an interesting race and a possible flip for the Democratic party.

In the 40th State House Seat, The Democratic nominee will be Groton City Councilman Dan Gaiewski. He will face off against the Republican nominee Robert Boris, the Groton Economic Development Commission Chairman. Kamala Harris comfortably carried the district 60-38 during the November election meaning Gaiewski is favored.

The margins of these races will be closely watched to gauge if either side is experiencing higher than expected turnout. Polls closed at 8 pm so we will wait and see what happens.

8:38 PM – In the 40th State House District, one of the five precincts has reported.

Credit to CT Secretary of State Site

Democratic nominee Dan Gaiewski comfortably leads Republican Nominee Robert Boris 72-28

In the 21st State Senate Seat, results are coming in quickly. 16 of the 23 precincts have reported.

Democratic Nominee Tony Afriyie leads Republican Nominee Jason Perillo 58-42, but we need to confirm where the results in the district are coming from, and what precincts are left.

8:45 PM – After a closer look at the unofficial results on the Secretary of State’s Website. We can see that all the votes have come in from the Stratford part of the district.

This is an important context as Stratford is the more liberal part of the district.

Stratford voted 57-42 for Kamala Harris in the presidential Election. Democratic Nominee Afriyie is running slightly ahead 58-42, but he is from this part of the district. It will be a tight race.

8:54 PM – In the 21st State Senate Seat, the precinct in the Seymour part of the district came strongly for State Rep. Jason Perillo (R-Shelton). Perillo won that part of the district 65-35.

He ran slightly ahead of Trump’s performance in this part of the district (62-37). Two towns yet to report, Shelton (which is fully in the 21st State Senate Seat), and Monroe (only part of the town in the seat). Perillo could run ahead in Shelton since he represents the area in the state house.

Tony Ayfrie currently leads 56-44, though the results in Shelton will make that margin much closer.

9:30 PM – Results have come in from Monroe. The two precincts have come in 50.8-49.2 for Republican nominee Jason Perillo. Afriyie still leads 55-45, it will come down to Shelton!

9:33 PM – Out of nowhere, results have fully come in for the 40th State House Seat. Democratic Nominee Dan Gaiewski defeats Republican nominee Robert Borris.

According to the unofficial results, Gaiewski wins 68.84%-31.14% over Borris. Harris won here 60-38. That is a 15-point overperformance here. (Gaiewski +37 vs Harris +22)

9:41 PM – And there it is. Shelton came strongly for State Rep. Jason Perillo, who is now State-Senator Elect. He won Shelton 65-35, whereas Trump only won here 55-44. He represented this part of the district since 2007 so that definitely helped him. Perillo wins 53.5-46.5.

9:55 PM – Though the races have been called. A quick look at past results in the 21st State Senate seat shows that Afriyie’s 46.52% of the vote is one of the best results for a Democrat in this district in a long time

In 2006, then State Senator Dan Debicella won 52.2-47.8 against his Democratic opponent. This is the closest result in the district since then. Kelly never faced a close challenge in his tenure.

In the end, though, Jason Perillo overperformed Trump in this district. He overperformed by about 6.5 points (Perillo +7 vs Trump 0.5).

Well, that will be it for the night. I will likely have another live blog in a few months, as there will be a special election for Jason Perillo’s state house seat.

Overall Results

Note – Numbers are unofficial at the moment

40th House Seat – Democrat Groton City Councilman Dan Gaiewski beats Republican Robert Boris, the Groton Economic Development Commission Chairman, 68.84%-31.14%.

21st State Senate Seat – Republican State Rep. Jason Perillo beats Democrat Stratford Town Councilor Anthony Afriyie 53.47%-47.52%.

Thanks for following our live blog!

Derby Mayor Joseph DiMartino on Left. Credit to Ethan Fry – Connecticut Hearst Media/CT Post

Incumbent Mayor Democrat Joseph DeMartino faces a competitive race in November. The 2023 Election in Derby grabbed national news attention due to his Republican opponent.

In our previous article, I noted many competitive elections that will take place in November. The circumstances of the Derby Mayoral Election in 2023 warrant its own article.

The Rollercoaster 2023 Mayoral Race: The Republican Primary

Derby, a city 8 miles northwest of New Haven, received national news attention on September 12, 2023, when Republican challenger Gino DiGiovanni Jr. beat incumbent Republican mayor Richard Dziekan. DiGiovanni Jr., a local board of alderman was charged with trespassing during the Jan. 6 Capital riot.

State Senate majority leader Bob Duff explained the danger of voters not paying attention to local elections. Duff said, “Too many people focus entirely on the federal level. Duff’s comments came due to the low turnout of the Republican primary.

Connecticut is a closed primary state, meaning only registered voters of a party can vote. Derby is a city with over 12,000 residents, with 6,667 registered voters during the November 2023 elections. During the Republican Primary, Derby only had over 1264 registered Republicans, of which 394 voted in the primary. DiGiovanni Jr emerged victorious with 202 votes, to Incumbent Mayor Dzeikan’s 192 votes. The votes were finalized after a recount 3 days after the primary. Voter turnout on the Republican side was a bit over 31%.

Credit to Connecticut Secretary of State Website

National Attention

Publications including the NYTimes, Politico, and the AP News covered the Republican primary bringing attention to the small city. Democratic operative Roy Occhiogrosso told reporters “It’s not like Derby is some town in the Deep South where there’s an overwhelming amount of support for Trump,” and that “It’s not a hotbed of MAGA activity”. The New York Times noted, that DiGiovanni was one of the few elected officals to be charged in connection with the Capital riot. He won his seat on the alderboard in 2021, 10 months after the Capitol riots.

DiGiovanni said after his primary win “I didn’t go down there to overthrow the government”, and that he recognized Joe Biden as president. Interestingly many people in the town, including his opponents gave him a pass or avoided harsh criticism of his actions. The Derby Board of Education Chair Jim Gildea said people gave Gino a pass because he is a nice guy. Incumbent Mayor Dzeikan said DiGiovanni’s judgement was off, but he’s a great guy. DiMartino said it wasn’t a great move, but he wasn’t trying to bash him.

Even more surprisingly, Dzeikan’s tenure as mayor likely faced more scrutiny than DiGiovanni’s. State officials placed the city’s finances under strict oversight after a projected surplus turned into a significant deficit.

The General Election

Races in the city of Derby are usually competitive at the town and federal level. In 2020, Biden won the city (51-48). In 2024, Trump won the city (51-48). During the 2021 mayoral election, incumbent Republican mayor Richard Dziekan beat Democratic nominee Joseph DiMartino by a narrow 48-vote margin (50.85-49.15). Democrats won the other city offices such as City Clerk, Treasurer, and Constable. These results note the competitive nature of City elections

Joseph DiMartino emerged victorious on his second attempt for mayor winning the general election in November 2023. Incumbent Republican Mayor Richard Dziekan was on the ballot as a petitioning candidate. Dziekan and DiGiovanni Jr. split the Republican vote leading to DiMartino winning a plurality of the vote (44-25-23). Democrats carried other all offices in the city winning majorities in all of them.

DiMartino Announces Re-Election Bid

Two weeks ago, Incumbent mayor Joseph DiMartino announced his re-election bid for a second term as mayor of Derby.

In his announcement, he noted the city already has eliminated the deficit and says the process has started in turning the city around. He noted in his announcement he is focused on the economic development of the city.

DiMartino is a 33-year veteran of the Derby Public Works Department and has coached girls’ softball and boys’ wrestling. As an official, he served as a member and board of alderman.

The competitive nature of the city will mean this is one election people should have on their radars. It is unknown at this time which Republican will seek the seat, but we will update readers on new developments when the time comes.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker (left) in 2024 at a ribbon cutting. Credit to New Haven Independent

Connecticut local leaders have announced their re-elections and retirements for the upcoming 2025 cycle since the 2024 elections.

Candidates have also announced challenges and entries into races for open seats. These will continue at a quick pace in the next couple of months. We will update readers as often as possible as we expect new candidates and challenges in many Connecticut towns and cities.

New Haven

In December, Democratic incumbent Justin Elicker announced his re-election campaign for a 4th term leading Connecticut’s third-largest city. Elicker comfortably won his last re-election in 2023 by an 80-18 margin.

New Britain

As mentioned in our previous article, Republican incumbent Erin Stewart announced her retirement last September. She is preparing for a likely run for Governor.

On Friday, Republican Sharon Beloin-Saavedra announced her entry into the race for mayor. Beloin-Saavedra serves as the deputy minority leader and was a former school board chairwoman. Notably, she was a former Democrat but party-flipped after losing a brutal three-way primary in 2011 for a state house seat. In her announcement, she slammed city Democrats due to their “small-tent mentality”.

This is an interesting strategy in a city where Republicans are outnumbered. Despite Stewart’s wins for mayor, the area is Democratic at the federal level voting comfortably for Kamala Harris by a large margin (61-37). The last Democratic mayor in the city was Tim O’Brien, who served for one term before losing to Stewart in 2013. Stewart also posed a strong advantage in 2013, as her father Tim Stewart served as mayor from 2003 to 2011. Beloin-Saavedra will need strong cross-voting in this diverse Connecticut city to win a mayoral race as a Republican with a similar coalition to Stewart.

Hamden

Lauren Garrett campaigned on election day in 2021. Credit to HQNN

Last month, Lauren Garrett filed papers to run for re-election for her third term. Democratic primary voters in Hamden will feel some deja vu in an expected Democratic primary. Former Board of Ed. member Walter L. Morton IV announced he would run in the primary. Morton ran in 2023 against Garrett losing 44-56. In a phone interview with the New Haven Register, he noted Hamden’s “lack of economic development and true grand list growth ” under the current mayor. Garrett has been applauded for her leadership in managing the town’s finances after years of neglect including a tax cut in the 2024-25 year in the mill rate.

Bristol

In Late January, Republican incumbent Jeff Caggiano announced he would run for a 3rd term for mayor. Surprisingly, Caggiano told the local press that if he won, it would be his final term as mayor. He is focused on completing the Centre Square Village project in a 3rd term for mayor. Under his tenure, the Wheeler Family Health & Wellness Center was built and completed. Caggiano comfortably won 61-39 in 2023, despite the town’s near 50-50 split on the federal level.

Milford

On Friday, Democrat and former Mayor Rich Smith announced his challenge to Republican incumbent mayor Tony Giannattasio. Smith announced his challenge at the Milford Tax Office, citing the yearly tax increases under Giannattasio’s tenure. Smith promised lower taxes during his speech. Giannattasio responded saying that Smith was promoting misinformation and fear along with his consultants. He noted the tax increase was only 1% last year, and will only be 4% next year. Giannattasio had a narrow three-point win last year (51.5-48.5) and is the first Republican mayor of the city in over a decade. The race in November is expected to be competitive.

Wallingford

In mid-January, Republican incumbent Vincent Cervoni announced his re-election bid for a second term. In another race that is expected to be competitive. Cervoni won his first term in 2023, becoming the first new mayor in 40 years after longtime incumbent William Dickinson retired. In another town, that is also closely divided at the federal level (Harris 50-48), Cervoni expects another competitive election after his 7-point win in 2023.

Danbury

On February 7th, Roberto Alves formally launched his bid for a second term leading Connecticut’s 7th largest city. In another competitive town, Alves won a narrow 51-49 win in an upset over Republican incumbent Dean Esposito. Interstingly, last month Esposito announced on social media that he would not have a rematch with Alves. The two also battled it out in 2021, with Esposito emerging victorious, meaning a different Republican candidate will be on the ticket in November. Alves, the now Connecticut Democratic Party Chair, has to defend a seat that the GOP held for 22 years before his upset win. This race like many of the others mentioned today, will be competitive in November.

L to R: Tony Afriyie, Democratic nominee, and Jason Perillo, Republican nominee. Source: Contributed photos / Tony for State Senate & Jason Perillo’s LinkedIn page/ CTNewsJunkie

As briefly mentioned in our previous post on Feb 8th, two special elections will occur on February 25th.

Brief Overview

On January 10th, Governor Ned Lamont announced two special elections for 21st State Senate Seat vacated by former State Senator Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford). Governor Lamont nominated Kelly to a Superior Court judgeship. The additional vacancy is in the 40th State House Seat, vacated by former State Rep. Christine Conley (D-Groton). She will advance for a nomination to the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission.

21st State Senate Seat District Information

The 21st State Senate Seat has been a long-time Republican stronghold. It has remained in GOP hands since 1966. It was held by Republican George “Doc” Gunther of Stratford for 50 years from 1967 to his retirement in 2007. He is the longest-serving state legislator in Connecticut history. Dan Debicella served the district from 2007 to 2011, leaving for an unsuccessful run for Congress where he lost to Connecticut 4th District Rep. Jim Himes 47-53, despite the GOP wave in 2010. Kelly held the district from 2011 till his resignation earlier this year. The district covers most of Stratford, all of Shelton, plus parts of Seymour and Monroe.

Analyzing CT Secretary of State Precinct Data, I assessed how the district would have voted in the 2024 Presidential Election. Despite the GOP dominance of the district in the State Senate, The results show a nearly even split, with Trump narrowly carrying the district 49.6% to Harris’ 49.06%.

Kevin Kelly was the only state senator in Connecticut unopposed in the 2024 election. In 2022, Kelly won comfortably 57-41 against his Democratic opponent Christopher Green. The district is expected to remain in Republican control.

The 50-50 split of the district, a low-turnout election, and if the district’s Democratic base is motivated by the first few weeks of the Trump administration could lead to the Democratic nominee winning the seat. However, the Republican down-ballot dominance of this region should not be underestimated.

21st State Senate Candidates

In the 21st State Senate Seat, The Republican nominee will be State Rep. Jason Perillo (R-Shelton) who will face off against the Democratic nominee Stratford Town Councilor Anthony Afriyie.

State Rep. Jason Perillo (R-Shelton) has represented the 113th State House District since 2007. Since 2020, he has served as the Deputy House Republican Leader. He has held previous positions as an Assistant House Republican Leader and as House Republican Whip. Perillo, a lifelong Shelton resident, has served on various local boards and committees. He is a former chief of Echo Hose Ambulance, an emergency ambulance provider for Shelton, and has been volunteering since 1999. Perillo holds a bachelor’s from Georgetown, an MBA from Boston College, and an MPA from Harvard.

Anthony ‘Tony’ Afriyie, has served as Stratford Town Councilor in Stratford’s 5th District since 2023. He was born and raised in the Bronx, New York where he lived with his parents who immigrated to the United States from Ghana in 1997. The 26-year-old has lived in Stratford since 2006, where he attended local schools graduating from Stratford High in 2015. He works as a staffer for longtime 3rd District Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and has just completed his Masters in Public Administration, from Western Connecticut in 2024. Afriyie recently had an interview with the Stamford Crier which can be found here. He has noted the need for community development and the importance of early childhood education.

40th State House Seat District Information

State Rep. Christine Conley has served the 40th State House district since 2017, before resigning earlier this year. Unlike the 21st State Senate, the district does not enjoy a 50-year Democratic dominance, as during the 2014 Republican Midterm Wave, former State Rep. John F Scott won the seat against the then 6-term Democratic incumbent Edward Moukawsher. Scott would only hold the seat for one term before being beaten by Conley. The district is comprised of parts of both Groton and New London.

Analyzing CT Secretary of State Precinct Data, I assessed how the district would have voted in the 2024 Presidential Election. It is solidly Democratic voting for Kamala Harris by a 60-38 margin. The seat is widely expected to remain in Democratic hands.

Conley won in 2024 by a wider 66-34 spread against her Republican opponent Susan Deane-Shinbrot. She won by an even wider 82-18 victory against Independent Lauren Gauthier in 2022.

40th State House Seat Candidates

L to R: Republican candidate Robert Boris and Democratic candidate Dan Gaiewski. Source: Contributed photos / Campaign Facebook Pages/ CTNewsJunkie

In the 40th State House Seat, The Democratic nominee will be Groton City Councilman Dan Gaiewski. He will face off against the Republican nominee Robert Boris, the Groton Economic Development Commission Chairman.

Dan Gaiewski was appointed to Groton Town Council in August 2023 and won re-election later that year during the state’s municipal elections. He graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 2023 with a BA in American Studies and Government. He has interned for 2nd District House Rep. Joe Courtney and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz. Gaiewski notes the importance of bringing more money back to the district, delivering more housing for the district, and lowering costs for families. His current position is in constituent services for the state Legislature. Two weeks ago, Gaiewki was interviewed on the show Born Political hosted by Joe de la Cruz, which can be found here.

Robert “Bob” Boris holds positions as Groton SEAT Representative, Vice Chairman of the City Planning and Zoning Board, Chairman of the Mystic Chamber Foundation, and President of Groton Rotary. He has decades of experience as tech entrepreneur leading his family’s information database company, Command Technology Inc. Boris notes the importance of affordability, economic development, and advocating for responsible oversight. Last Week, Boris was interviewed on the show CITY FOCUS hosted by Marty Olsen, which can be found here.

Source: Connecticut State Capitol, Hartford, CT – Photo by Craig Fildes, 2016

The 2024 Presidential Race was long, divisive, and full of surprises. Yet we don’t have to wait long for the next elections in the state.

These are some of the notable elections that residents of Connecticut can expect in 2025.

Special Elections

In just over 2 weeks, two special elections will kick off the 2025 elections in Connecticut. On January 10th, Governor Ned Lamont announced two special elections for 21st State Senate Seat vacated by former State Senator Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford). Governor Lamont nominated Kelly to a Superior Court judgeship. The additional vacancy is in the 40th State House Seat, vacated by former State Rep. Christine Conley (D-Groton). She will advance for a nomination to the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission.

In the 21st State Senate Seat, The Republican nominee will be State Rep. Jason Perillo (R-Shelton) who will face off against the Democratic nominee Stratford Town Councilor Anthony Afriyie.

In the 40th State House Seat, The Democratic nominee will be Groton City Councilman Dan Gaiewski. He will face off against the Republican nominee Robert Boris who is the Groton Economic Development Commission Chairman.

Aside from any other special elections, and the May election in the small town of Union, CT. The next elections on the ballot will only be in November. Though it sounds like a long time from now, before you know it campaign signs will be everywhere.

November Municipality Elections

During off-year election cycles in Connecticut, each municipality will hold elections for elected offices in that town, which vary from mayor to town councilor to various boards.

Here at the CT Election Guide, we have started to go through the top elected positions in every town. So far, we have a list of the mayors/selectmen of the 30 largest towns/cities. We have noted when the election will be for that municipality.

This can be confusing in Connecticut, as municipalities decide their form of government meaning titles, election systems, and term length can vary considerably. Municipalities can have systems varying from Mayor-Council to Council-Manager to Representative Town Meeting.

Not every town holds a mayor/selectman race in 2025. This includes the large cities of Bridgeport, Hartford, and Waterbury elected their mayors to a 4-year term in 2023. Large City incumbents such as Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker will face mayoral elections in November. Most towns in the state hold elections for boards and mayor every 2 years including Norwalk, Danbury, and New Britain.

Notable Retirements

We can already note two notable retirements for mayor/selectman for the 2025 election cycle. In New Britain, longtime Mayor Erin Stewart announced in September 2024 that she would not seek a seventh term. More recently, she has officially launched her anticipated exploratory campaign for the Republican nomination in Connecticut’s 2026 gubernatorial race. Another expected retirement is in Norwich, where Mayor Peter Nystrom noted in March 2021 that he would run for a final term that November which he won.

Elections to Watch

In the 2023 elections (2021 Election in Stamford), four of Connecticut’s 30 largest municipalities had contests decided by margins of less than five percentage points. These closely contested races are up for election again in 2025. In Stamford, Democrat Mayor Caroline Simmons won her first term in 2021 with a 52.5-47.5 victory over Independent and former MLB Player Bobby Valentine. While she is expected to seek a second term in November, the level of opposition she may face remains uncertain.

The next three elections is expected to be competitive due to the politically-swingy nature of these communities. In Danbury, Democrat Roberto Alves won a rematch against Republican Dean Esposito in 2023, after losing his first outing to Esposito in 2021. Both races were decided by less than two points and is expected to be competitive in a City where Kamala Harris won 53-46 against Donald Trump in the recent 2024 Presidential Election. Alves announced on January 27th that he would run for re-election.

In Milford and Trumbull, both incumbent mayors won narrowly contested races, with margins of victory under five points. Democrat Vicki Tesoro secured her fourth term in 2023, while Republican Tony Giannattasio won his first term, becoming Milford’s first Republican mayor in 12 years. Given the partisan divide in these communities—where Kamala Harris narrowly won Milford (47.3%-46.7%) and carried Trumbull (52%-47%) in 2024—both races are expected to be competitive in the upcoming election.

What to Expect

Since it is early in the cycle, numerous expected retirements and developments will occur and we will keep readers updated as announcements occur.

If you have any other notable elections to note, please don’t be afraid to contact us at contact@ctelectionguide.com

Notes: Election results numbers were slightly rounded and found on CT Secretary of State’s Website.