2023-2025 Bloomfield Town Council Members. Source: Town of Bloomfield Website

Overview

The Town of Bloomfield is solidly Democratic at the presidential level. In 2024, the town voted for Kamala Harris by an 84-15 margin, her largest margin of victory out of all 169 municipalities in the state. Though not competitive at the federal level, things change rapidly as we move downballot. The Bloomfield Town Council has found itself in a long series of infighting. Current Mayor Danielle Wong and her fellow town council members have found themselves facing bitter disputes. These disputes have been led by former Mayors Sydney Schulman and Suzette DeBeatham-Brown along with their allies.

On Monday’s article, I talked about the crowded Democratic primary taking place in Hamden. A competitive Democratic primary is expected. Continuing our recent discussion on local elections. Let’s get going about forty-five minutes to the north, we arrive in the town of Bloomfield.

Quick History on Bloomfield

Let’s start off with a quick history lesson on Bloomfield. Bloomfield is the town with the largest African-American population in the state. The only town where the majority of residents are Black at just over 53% as of the 2020 census. Interestingly, the town’s demographics shifted starting in the 60s.

The reason for this starts in neighboring West Hartford. West Hartford, a town with a rich, affluent, mostly White population participated in racially discriminatory housing practices starting way back in the early 1900s. As the town grew, local, federal, and real estate officials wanted to ensure that the town remained overwhelmingly White.

As the town grew, they were the first in 1924, to enact zoning regulations, which segregated citizens by socioeconomic class. They furthered housing segregation in the 1930s through redlining. Where loans were systematically only approved in certain areas, in reality areas that were overwhelmingly White. Black and other minority residents were essentially shut from West Hartford, and other neighboring suburbs.

In the 1940s, some covenants in town went as far as declaring that ” no persons of any race other than the White race…” shall be allowed in the building. Bloomfield on the other hand, much more welcoming to Black residents, real estate agents pushed all of those residents to live in Bloomfield. White residents were pushed to live in West Hartford and Avon.

This practice known as “block busting” was a devious practice using the arrival of Black residents to scare White residents away, and than selling their homes to Black buyers willing to pay.

As Black residents moved to Bloomfield from Hartford and other towns, the town transformed completely as White residents left for other towns. And the town went from 95% White to over 60% Black in a 30 year span.

Additional Resources on This History

For more information on this interesting, but contentious and difficult history. I highly recommend the open-access book by Trinity College professor Jack Dougherty. The book On The Line: How Schooling, Housing, and Civil Rights Shaped Hartford and its Suburbs, I’ve linked here.

I mention this because to understand the present-day battles on the Bloomfield Town Council, it’s important to understand the historical forces that shaped the town’s demographics and politics in the first place

The 2021 Democratic Primary

The conflict is long and ongoing, but let’s start off with the 2021 Democratic Primary.

2021 Democratic Primary Results in Bloomfield. Source: CT Secretary of State Website

This close and contentious primary ended with voters splitting their ballots between the endorsed and challenger candidates.

Then the incumbent mayor Suzette DeBeatham-Brown, made it into the top six candidates, despite not receiving the Democratic Town Committee’s endorsement, therefore having to gather signatures to make the primary.

During the first town council meeting of the 2021-23 legislative session, Danielle Wong was elected mayor by her fellow town council members in a unanimous vote. Though Wong was 4th in the primary, she received the most votes in the general election two months later. Councilors noted the importance of upholding the tradition of electing the mayor based on who receives the most votes.

It is important to note in Bloomfield, under a council-manager system, the mayor is mainly a figurehead of the town. But the mayor does not possess veto power or control over any specific committee.

Danielle Wong

Mayor Wong was first elected to the Bloomfield Town Council in 2019. She was originally slated to run for the Bloomfield Library of Directors, but was invited by the committee to run for council instead.

The single mother of two, and project process manager for Perrigo, decided to take an uphill challenge the following year. She decided to attempt a primary challenge against State Rep. Bobby Gibson in the 15th district.

Despite Rep. Gibson carrying endorsements from most of the area’s elected officials, Wong went ahead with the challenge. She felt she was qualified for the seat based on her past experiences.

Though she lost a 35-65 race against Gibson in August 2020, she continued her tenure as council member.

The 2023 Democratic Primary

During the endorsements by the Democratic Town Committee in 2023, only four of the six incumbent Democrats councilors were endorsed, including Mayor Danielle Wong. Wong led her slate of six candidates on Row A of the ballot.

Former Mayor and councilwoman Suzette DeBeatham Brown and Councilmen Rickford Kirton did not seek the party’s endorsement, but most delegates in the town favored Wong and her slate at the convention. On Row B of the ballot, the former Mayor led a slate of six other candidates to challenge Wong and her allies, after garnering enough signatures to force a primary.

Wong and her allies who were endorsed, opposed the recent tax increase that occurred due to a requested budget increased from the Board of Education. Brown and Kirton also had other disagreements during the session as they tried to remove Town Manager Stanley Hawthorne from his position. Brown argued that there are issues surrounding housing and economy development, where Hawthorne needed to improve on. Wong and her allies supported Hawthorne, though he ended up leaving his position. The council in previous years went through multiple town managers.

2023 Democratic Primary Results in Bloomfield. Source: CT Secretary of State Website

After a contentious primary, the slate of candidates led by Mayor Wong won by a 2 to 1 margin against DeBeatham-Brown’s slate of candidates. Though it was a convincing victory for Wong and her allies, it wouldn’t be the end of infighting between the two groups.

Library Dispute

During the current legislative session, both former mayor Suzette Debeatham-Brown and former councilor Rick Kirton continually raised questions about decisions that Wong and her Democratic council were making.

This included a proposal for renaming the town’s newly constructed library. Wong admitted the issue was mishandled and abandoned the idea due to widespread and angry public opposition. In addition, a Republican councilor lambasted Wong on social media, saying she “does not care about us”. After the incidents of lashing out online and during council meetings between members, she urged everyone involved to reduce to heat of the debate and be civil. There was also an incident where some information was leaked out by Republican town councilor Joe Merritt that led to a contentious argument during a meeting. The Town manager, Alvin Schwapp Jr. said the residents should not have to deal with this level of dysfunction. Though tension continued.

Budget Referendum

Other than a few small towns that hold municipal elections in May. Connecticut does not usually have regularly scheduled elections during the spring season, with one notable exception. Town budget referendums. The rules surrounding these referendums vary greatly by town. Some towns have a vote every year to pass the budget, and other towns have votes when the council can’t agree on a budget or if residents force a vote.

Former Mayor Debeatham-Brown and former Councilor Kirton continued their public opposition to the council. Kirkton gathered more than 1,000 signatures to put the budget to a vote for May 28th. Residents who signed the petition were concerned about a 4% tax increase due state mandated reevaluation. Some residents on community pages complained there was a pattern of high-handness at the town hall.

The council led by Wong decided to phase in the rate increase over four years. They supported their budget saying that a lower increase of tax will result in cuts of millions of dollars. Kirton felt that something more could be done, and that the increased tax rate could be much lower. Councilman Todd Cooper put confidence in the budget he and the council worked on.

The vote was interesting. Out of the voters who voted, a large majority voted “no” on the budget by a 4 to 1 margin (1934 “against”, 494 “for”). However, a charter requirement says that 15% of eligible voters must vote “no”. Since that threshold was not passed, the budget was approved.

Resulting Lawsuit

3 weeks after the vote, a lawsuit was filed against Danielle Wong and her administration, accusing them of conducting a “substantially false and misleading referendum”.

Who was the lawsuit led by, you might ask? Not only did it include former councilor Kirton, but another former Mayor of Bloomfield, Sydney Schulman. They argued that the referendum should have been phrased and presented differently to voters into two separate parts (113 million budget, 4 million economic development). Instead of how the budget was presented (117 million referendum as one question). Republican councilor Mahon frequently clashed with Mayor Wong during the meetings deciding how the referendum should be put on the ballot.

Wong Decides Not to Run

Wong announced in April that she would not run for another term as mayor or for council.

She wrote in an op-ed in the Hartford Courant last week about fighting misinformation. She discusses her accomplishments and improvements to the town infrastructure, investments, and expansion of a good AA+ credit rating.

She noted her disagreements with her fellow councilors about the 2021 tax increase, and how they were the same ones spreading distortion and chaos about what is happening in the city. She explained the importance of working together and how some of the loudest voices on social media are fighting for attention. She asks readers to have “hope rooted in the strength of our people…”.

With Wong not running, the council endorsed a slate of candidates on July 16th that includes many incumbents and a few newcomers. Incumbents on the endorsed slate are Deputy Mayor Anthony Harrington and Councilors Cindi Lloyd, Todd Cooper, and Mike Oliver. Newcomers are Ola Aina and Darrell Goodwin. They also gave endorsements for other local positions, which can be found here.

Likely Upcoming Primary

However, they will likely be challenged again by former Councilor Kirton. Former Mayor Debeatham-Brown will also join the slate, but who will challenge the endorsed candidates is unknown at the moment. Kirton and Debeathman-Brown will definitely get on the ballot, but we will have to see who joins them.

Kirton found himself in the hot water earlier this week after Bloomfield employee Annatoucher Kingland issued a statement saying that Councilor Kirton made her seriously uncomfortable in 2022 calling her “my secret crush”. Kingland felt that her sexual complaint was being downplayed before she made her statement.

Kirton, who denied Kingland’s account, spoke about the “false claims”. He said that years of silence were there, but now it comes out, on the same day he took out petitions to get his name on the primary ballot and back on the council. Debeathman-Brown said the issue was investigated and how she never saw any issues. Wong’s administration argues that it was not political and an attorney found the complaint to be substantiated. In addition, Kingland asked if Kirton had completed sexual harassment training earlier that month. The dispute is ongoing.

What to Expect?

I don’t see this conflict between the Council and Kirton/Debeatham-Brown ending soon. The conflict has grown by the day. Recent events surrounding the budget referendum will likely last past the primary.

For the primary, I expect Kirton and Debeatham-Brown to run a full slate of six Democratic candidates similar to 2023. I think they might fare a bit better this time around, as the tax increases and budget referendum showed that many people are not happy with the current councilors. However, they still have strong support among many voters and will still likely come out on top. In addition, they are supported by the town committee’s endorsement.

How long will this bitter conflict continue? I have no idea. I do know that with Mayor Wong stepping down, though, I don’t think it will end any time soon.

We will have more on the expected primary as we get closer to September.

Thanks for reading!

Legislative Council President Dominique Baez at the Town Committee Convention last Tuesday.

Source: Jim Michaud, Hearst Connecticut Media

Overview

Hamden is home to a large progressive base of politicians. They are ready for a fight for the voters. The competitive Democratic primary for the mayor of Hamden and State Rep. Josh Elliott’s primary campaign for governor has brought much attention to the liberal town.

In the Mayoral Race, Lauren Garrett informed the town’s electorate on Monday, July 8th that she would not run for a 3rd term. Her tenure has been praised for its updated fiscal polices, fiscal stability, and infrastructure projects.

However, she has faced scrutiny over the town’s budget from the town council which voted to override her veto of the town’s spending plan. In addition to a recent state-mandated tax assessment evaluation, which has led to residents with highly increased tax bills. Disagreements have led to a large field of primary candidates before she dropped out. Even if she stayed in the race, she would have easily won the DTC’s endorsement, but the number of competitors demonstrated her vulnerability to an upset.

Additionally, this is the first time a mayor will be elected to a 4-year term. This has intrigued and attracted many of the candidates as they will not face reelection in the shorter 2-year period. They will have longer to carry out their agenda before they face voters again.

As expected, Council President Dominique Baez easily won the Democratic Town Committee (DTC)’s endorsement last Tuesday, positioning herself as the frontrunner for the September 9th primary. However, many of her competitors say they will garner signatures for the primary.

The Frontrunner

Legislative Council President Dominique Baez won the nomination at the DTC easily by a vote of 39-11 over Democratic Registrar of Voters Lushonda Howard.

Baez, who if she wins, would be the first women of color elected to Hamden’s top position.

She in running on a platform of affordability and an administration built on “transparency, inclusion, and sustainable growth“. She works as a director at a construction workforce development nonprofit in New Haven.

Her large platform found on her campaign website, lists priorities including economic development (business development, smart planning), supporting local farms, food truck parks, university collaboration, affordable housing, infrastructure, public services, and more.

Baez was first elected to the Legislative Council in 2019. With the DTC’s endorsement, she will appear first on voters ballot, with a * next to her name noting her endorsement. This is advantageous, though not tantamount to winning a primary. However, she was outraised by every other candidate in the field during the second quarter, raising about 8.4k.

Previous Democratic Primaries in Hamden

This will be the 4th straight election where Hamden has had a Democratic primary for mayor. Former Mayor Curt Balazo Leng faced Garrett in a 2019 Democratic Primary where he won 61-39. He lost resoundingly to Garrett after she challenged him again in 2021 primary, losing 28-56.

Garrett faced her own challenger in Walter Morton IV whom she held off 56-44 in 2023. The field this year looks much larger, but it is hard to know who will make the ballot until everyone turns in their signature petitions. But I would it to be at least a 3-way race.

Former Mayoral Candidates Attempting a 2nd Chance

Garrett’s 2023 primary opponent Walter Mortion IV filed for an expected rematch against Garrett all the way in November. He now faces multiple challengers in his second attempt for mayor.

Morton IV is US Army Combat Veteran, a former member of the Hamden Board of Education, and was the town’s Director of Legislative Affairs. He is currently the Director of Government and Community Affairs at the CT Energy Marketers Association. His platform includes how to spur the town’s economic development, education, transportation, and sustainability.

Due to his previous run receiving more than 40% of the primary vote, and led the race in total campaign donations (23k) as of July 12th. I expect him to make the ballot and place him in second behind Baez due to his name id from his past run.

To make the ballot and force a primary, each candidate must gather signatures of 5% of registered Democrats in Hamden and file their petitions by August 7th.

Another previous mayoral challenger is also making his second attempt for the mayoral office. 2021 Mayoral Candidate Peter Cyr placed 3rd with 16% of the vote, behind incumbent mayor Leng and Garrett. Cyr said he planned to petition his way onto the ballot.

Cyr, a clean transportation advocate, who leads the Clean Transportation Communities of Southern CT was also a former political organizer. He serves locally on the board of Hamden Alumni Association and the Farmington Canal Commission

His platform includes 3 million in cuts, generating more revenue for the town, and selling town assets. From his background, he also has a plan to implement electric school buses to reduce carbon emissions. He has raised more than 10k for his campaign, solidly in the middle of the pack of his fellow competitors.

Other Notable Challengers

Round out the field includes Democratic Registar of Voters Lushonda Howard, real estate agent Jameka Jefferies, and former Board of Education chair Adam Sendroff. All three plan to petition their way on the ballot.

Jefferies led the field in fundraising in the second quarter, raising 21k. Howard raised 12k, with Sendroff back at 8k. Jefferies and Sendroff were not nominated at the convention, with Sendroff asking party members not to nominate him.

Howard entered the race late in April, hoping her experience as one of the town’s top officials could give her an edge. She has an extensive background ranging from the US Navy, a Department Corrections Officer, and her position as a professor at Naugatuck Valley Community College. Her platform also includes how to boost economic development, for example bring back New Haven’s Black Wall Street Festival to Hamden. She also has platforms on community support and restoring fiscal management.

Howard has also clashed with Garrett on a variety of issues, including accusing her of spreading misinformation about her own handling of the local primaries in 2024.

Jefferies, who entered the race in February, is the founder and owner of Diamond Realty Partners and Diamond Consulting Firm.

Her platform includes an 8-point revitalization plan for a Stronger Hamden. This includes sections on Housing Revitalization, Career Preparations, and Housing Growth.

Finally, Sendroff, a longtime board of education member, was the final candidate to enter the race in May. He cites his local ties as his family has resided in Hamden for six generations!

His platform similarly includes how to manage the city’s taxes and fiscal stability. He has a section on public safety by investing in emergency management infrastructure. He also has a section on housing and how to help others buy houses.

Recent Election Results

I believe all six democrats have a good chance of making the ballot. Though we won’t know for sure until the deadline. If all make the ballot, the race becomes more unpredictable as a low turnout frequently plagues these races. However, an open race and high Democratic enthusiasm for a new mayor could bring more people out. Who they will vote for, though, is up for grabs.

Though Democrats are heavily favored in a town that Kamala Harris carried in a landslide 73-25 margin. It should be noted that on the local level, Republicans have done much better in mayoral races. Fiscal concerns have led to a lot of split ticket voting from residents who vote Democrat across the ballot, except for mayor.

2023 Mayoral Results. Source CT Secretary of State Website.

in 2023, Incumbent Democrat Mayor Lauren Garrett won a 56-44 victory against Republican challenger Crystal Dailey. Though she won easily, the 12-point victory is much lower than Kamala Harris’ 48-point victory last year. She also only had a 54-43 victory in her first race in 2021 against Republican challenger Ron Gambardella.

Republican Opposition

Dailey introduced the Republican endorsed nominee at the Republican town committee meeting last week,  U.S. Trademark Prosecution Paralegal Jonathan Katz.

Katz, a political newcomer, is only 24 years old and faces an uphill battle in the liberal town. Katz told the committee after he was nominated, “Hamden is ready for change and that change starts with leadership that’s accountable, forward-thinking, and focused on results.”

Town Republicans say that Katz represents the future of the party and many feel the new generation of leadership will help them in the race rooted in “fiscal responsibility, innovation and grassroots engagement.”

Katz doesn’t face any opposition so he will likely be the Republican nominee. Town Republicans feel more confident than usual as Democratic infighting between multiple challengers might give them an opening as they present a united front. However, they have the town’s partisan leaning to contend with.

Manchester Mayor Jay Moran. Source: CT Post

Overview

Since our last edition in February, there have been many retirements and announcements of runs for candidates across the state. With 169 municipalities to cover, we can’t cover everything, but I will try my best to get some notable ones out of the way.

Next week, from July 15th to July 22nd, town committees, caucuses, and conventions will announce endorsements for municipal offices at their respective events for each party. We will learn more about endorsed candidates that are on the ballot, and over the following weeks, we will learn more about who will try to petition for the primary ballot.

The petition deadline in the state is pretty short, as petition must be submitted to the registrar by August 6th. The primary is scheduled for September 9th, with early voting days from the 5th to 7th. Only if the candidates are opposed will that town have a primary. So it will depend on the town and position.

Let’s get to some of the mayoral/selectman/selectwoman developments of the last couple of months.

Note to readers: if there is no recent developments in certain towns on challengers, who haven’t been heard from for a while. We will wait till the following weeks for official primary challengers, and go from there. In addition, many races have had opponents in for a few months, we not much news since than, so we will wait for the next few weeks to see if they continue their campaigns past the convention. At the moment we will cover the largest cities/towns for now. But I will try to cover others in the next few weeks.

Norwalk

In March, after 12 years in office, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling announced he would not seek reelection in November. The state’s 6th largest town has many people geared up for the open race.

Thanks to recent publications by Norwalk’s local publication Nancy on Norwalk , we have good detailed information about candidates gearing up to be the next mayor.

In the Democratic side, Common Council Members Barbara Smyth and Darlene Young are facing off against one another. Both have a lot of experience in city government.

Smyth has been a member of the common council for 8 years, elected president twice. Her priorities includes investing in public education, growing city as a responsible rate, and improving infrastructure and flooding issues.

Young has worked in the community under four different administrations, a member of the common council, elected president once. She is a founding member of Norwalk’s Community Health System. Her top pritories as mayor are addressing affordability, resolving budget process challenges, strength blught enforcement, and diversifying our housing options.

On the Republican side, Businessowner Vinny Scicchitano is the only person declared for the nomination. He has owned and operated a small business for over 40 years. His priorities include fiscal responsibility, educational excellence, and improving traffic and infrastructure.

Unaffilated candidate, Erik Vitaglione and Orion Party member Scott Merrell are also candidates for mayor, but they have to get on the ballot, and neither responded to the questionnaires from the publication.

Greenwich

First Selectman Fred Camillo announced on Tuesday that he will announce his re-election bid for a 4th term on Monday the 14th.

Camillo in his announcement, noted his good relationship with top legislators including State Sen. Bob Duff and State Rep Jason Rojas. He also noted the city’s gains in affordable housing stock, noting the importance of debate.

Hamden

Despite her announcement of seeking re-election earlier this year, two-term incumbent mayor Lauren Garrett announced on Monday she would not seek re-election to a third term citing a desire to be with family and friends in addition to mental health.

Garrett leaves offices with accomplishments ranging from stabilizing the town’s finances by securing more than $50 million in grants for community projects. She has faced challenges recently concluding in the town council overriding her veto of the town’s budget and some residents complaining about financial transparency.

Garrett’s exit means there are multiple candidates now vying for the Democratic nomination, the largest in at least 35 years. The large field is likely due to frustration over expected property tax hikes, in addition to appeal of a four-year term, which is longer than the previous two year term, giving candidates more time to carry out their agendas.

Democrats competing for the nomination include Legislative Council President Dominique Baez, Combat Veteran and Board of Ed member Walter Mortion, Businesswoman Jameka Morrison-Jefferies, Clean-Transportation Advocate Peter Cyr, Vet and Registrar of Voters Lushonda Howard.

In this open race, in a liberal city, hard to say who is favored here. Though I would think Legislative Council President Dominqiue Baez is favored here for the endorsement next week, she has many opponents who can all make the ballot, so hard to say what can happen. The winner of the primary will likely win the race in a town Kamala Harris carried 73-25 in November.

On the Republican side, 24-year-old, political newcomer paralegal Jonathan Katz has been running since last month, and seems to have the nomination to himself.

Manchester

Incumbent Mayor Jay Moran announced he would seek re-election as mayor. He has been mayor for over a decade, but Manchester started electing their mayor directly in 2023.

Though unopposed in 2023, Moran will have a republican opponent this time around. Manchester Republicans announced that Board of Directors Member Zachary Reichelt will oppose Moran. They expect he’ll get the nomination next week.

West Haven

West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer. Source: CT Examiner

Incumbent Mayor Dorinda Borer announced she would seek re-election for a second term early last month.

The city was greatly mismanaged in previous years including stolen pandemic relief funds, behind on audits, and having no bond rating for the city. Former State Rep. Michael DiMassa was also arrested for stealing COVID relief funds from the city.

Borer has been credited by the town’s Democratic chair for restoring the city’s finances and massively improving transparency.

Stratford, East Hartford, Trumbull

Incumbent Republican mayor Laura Hoydick announced she would run for a third four-year term early last month in Stratford.

Incumbent Democratic Middletown mayor Connor Martin announced he would run for a second term in mid-June. He has noted in making investments to help families and improve quality of life. The Republican Town Committee said they would announce a candidate to oppose Martin during its caucus on July 17th

Incumbent Democratic First Selectwoman Vicki Tesoro announced last month she would run for re-election.

Middletown

In Late May, Demoratic Incumbent mayor Ben Florsheim make the surprise announcement that he would resign office and will leave his position as mayor on June 16th. Florsheim was in office since 2019.

Common Council President Eugene Nocera will be Acting Mayor until the special election is completed on the same day as the city’s municipal election.

Acting Mayor Nocera will run for the Democratic nomination. He seems to be the only one on the Democratic side. He is a former two-term Board of Education member and an educator who worked for nearly 40 years in the school district.

Four members of the town’s Republican party are vying for the committee’s mayoral nomination. Former Mayor and councilmen Sebastian Guiliano, Council Minority Leader Linda Salafia, Greater Middletown Military Museum president Ken McClellan, and Business Manager Konrad Lenart. It is unknown if any of them would continue to the primary ballot if they don’t receive the nomination.

Torrington

Republican incumbent mayor Elinor Carborne announced in April she would not run for re-election for a fourth term. She cited her age (68) noting the importance of passing the torch to a new generation.

Both Democrats and Republicans have chosen a candidate to run in the general election. The Torrington Democratic Town Committee are behind City Council member Stephen Ivain. Republicans are behind fellow City Council member Molly Spino.

Ivain lost his first attempt at the mayoral race when he lost to Carborne in 2021. He cites increased costs of living and the “challenging moment” as reasons to run again. He also wants to lead with economic development and attack the rising taxes.

Molly Spino, a marine veteran and paralegal, cites her experience and the importance of building relationships across the city to take the office of Mayor.

Spino is favored in the city where Trump won 56-42 in November.

Conclusion

There are many other cities to cover, and much drama is occurring across the state across the ballot. We will be sure to cover more races, especially of smaller towns in future editions. They are some open-seat in smaller towns and cities we want to highlight, as well as some competitive races. We will definitely provide updates next week following town conventions and caucus, and look towards the primaries in September. Thanks for reading!

Rep. John Larson at a Press Conference. Source Peoples

Overview

A quiet beginning to the election season in Connecticut came to an end after the state legislature ended its session on June 5th. Ned Lamont’s vetoes of a housing bill angered state progressives and much of the caucus. Over the July 4th Weekend, State Rep. Josh Elliott has opened up an exploratory committee, but seems ready to launch a primary campaign against the two-term incumbent Governor.

Also over the weekend, longtime Congressman John Larson (CT-01) received a primary challenge from Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune.

Old Prediction

In my March article, I predicted that Ned Lamont would likely run for a 3rd term, and that he doesn’t seem to face a strong primary challenge. Turns out I was half right.

Lamont looks like he will run for a third term, but hasn’t conclusively stated he will run. However, I was incorrect in my lack of a strong primary challenger. I was correct in stating his fiscal moderation was his biggest vulnerability; well, the tension has broken completely and the state’s progressive faction seems to be ready for a battle against the incumbent governor. I didn’t expect it would come to fruition, but we will have to see how the race develops.

Governor

in June, Lamont vetoed bill HB 5002, a landmark housing bill. Lamont noted he wanted more “buy-in” from local communities before the bill could be passed, likely at a special session later in the fall. He noted his dislike on some of the parking provisions that were in the bill . Some local leaders disliked the bill, though the bill received widespread support in the Democratic caucus after months of negotiating.

The usually calm state Democratic caucus was not happy. State legislative leaders were certain that the bill would pass and Lamont would sign it. It was a surprising pushback for the largest housing bill the state has passed in years. Lamont also vetoed Senate Bill 8, a bill that would provided jobless benefits to strikers in Connecticut. This veto was expected, but also increased tension with state leaders.

The criticism of Lamont’s moderate polices on housing and finances has long been a criticism hurled at him. However, at a time when the base of the Democratic Party is looking for change at leadership, Lamont who has been in office since 2018 is seen at staying the same, and not in fighting shape.

This change in leadership and people in power came in a powerful shift late last month in New York City, where State Rep. Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City against political titan and longtime former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani, without a doubt, inspired some primary challenges, as there seemed to be some evidence of a base willing to make a drastic change. It didn’t help the perception of Lamont when he said, after being pressed by a reporter, that he would have ranked Andrew Cuomo first on his ballot.

Many state progressives note that they want someone fighting Trump strongly, and with polices that better reflect the Democratic base of the state. Lamont’s adherence to taxes on millionaires (he himself is very wealthy), and his insistence of keeping the state’s fiscal constrains despite funding decreasing in many sectors of the state’s economy.

State Rep. Anne Hughes (D-Easton) shares the sentiment, saying the ” party needs a more aggressive approach to a Trump administration that she says is promoting “a police state” and dismantling the social safety net, and there is a desire for generational change.” She additionally explained, “The governor doesn’t understand the urgency”.

The Challenger to the Governor

Rep. Josh Elliott at Best Video Film and Cultural Center in Hamden. Credit to Madeline Papcun / CT Mirror

State Rep. Josh Elliot (D-Hamden), deputy speaker of the Democratic caucus, opened an exploratory campaign on Tuesday, but has announced an official campaign launch for Monday, July 14th at 1 pm in front of Hamden Town Hall.

Rep. Elliott had an op-ed a few weeks ago announcing that the governor will not go unchallenged at the next election. It was unknown at the time of his op-ed if Elliott was the one too take on the challenge, but the time has come and he decided he is in. His platform won’t be known in detail for at least a few weeks, but he is expected to give some of his positions to the left of the governor on Housing and Taxes.

Rep. Elliott will definitely have some allies in his uphill battle against Governor Lamont. Two of his colleagues, State Sen. Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) and State Rep. Nick Gauthier (D- Waterford) have both released op-eds discouraging Lamont from running for a 3rd term (Anwar’s op-ed here and Gauthier’s op-ed here). This public act of rejection against Lamont shows that Elliott will have some support in the legislature. The scale of this will be hard to tell until his challenge is more cemented.

Elliott a member the state’s 88th Assembly district in Hamden came to office when challenging than speaker State Rep. Joseph Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden). Sharkey did not end up running for reelection and Elliott won the open seat. This is not the first time Elliott has aimed at higher office; he attempted a run for Secretary of State in 2022, though he dropped out at the convention after State Rep. Stephanie Thomas won the party endorsement. Elliott’s seat is very liberal. Kamala Harris won the district 70-28 in 2024.

He argues that Lamont doesn’t have what it needs to face Connecticut’s crisis and issues. “We have a housing crisis he blithely ignores, and he is so focused on the state budget he ignores the fact that people’s property taxes are skyrocketing. CCM is screaming about this.” Lamont welcomed him to the race on Tuesday noting “he’s a nice guy” and “welcome to the race“. So Lamont clearly does not seem too worried, and said this won’t change when he makes a decision on running for a 3rd term likely later in the summer or early fall.

What to Expect in the Governor’s Race

With no public polling, it is hard to say how Lamont will fare defending his record. Taking out an incumbent governor in Connecticut in a primary has not been attempted in recent memory.

State Rep. Josh Elliott has a long way to go to make his case to the voters. He does have at his disposal an energetic base that will likely be on his side. He is however not well to voters, and holds low name ID.

Elliott also needs to raise a lot of money to compete with Lamont who has spent his large fortune on his statewide campaigns. The Democratic base of the state would need to come to his aid. Elliott does likely benefit in a hypothetically closed-primary race, as more partsians might be more appealed to his campaign than the 40% of state voters who aren’t registered to either party.

Elliott also has to commit to a full run. It is not guaranteed that he will stay in the race to the ballot. He explained that Lamont will not go unchallenged, but rhetoric vs ballot are different things. Elliott could be gauging interest in a run, but could easily run for another term in the legislature by the state convention next year if he decides too. He did the same thing during his attempt at Secretary of State in 2022. He also notes that, unlike Andrew Cuomo, “… Ned is a nice guy and is really likable”.

Lamont, however, has been etched into the minds of Nutmeggers since his upset primary victory over Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in 2006. Though he lost the general election, and lost a close primary in 2010 for Governor to Dan Malloy, eventually getting the nomination in 2018 easily over Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim. Lamont also has a record of some progressive wins to help him defend himself, but his age and the changing Democratic base leave him vulnerable. Lamont will also have multiple statewide members endorse him, including many leaders. Though he will need to reveal his plans for a 3rd term to show a vision he has for the state.

However, it should be noted that Lamont is still popular. The state is not exactly known for electing progressive democrats to statewide office and is well known for its political establishment. The state has been famously in the center of the Democratic party, despite Democrats having a stronghold of power across the state. His fiscal moderation has changed the state’s finances dramatically to a much better place.

If this challenge convinces Lamont to retire, then we got a wide-open race, and would have a long list of challengers, including multiple statewide officeholders.

Lamont who is essentially the only person to have been on the ballot against an incumbent Democrat for federal office in recent memory will have to get back his base of voters if he wants a third-term.

At a time of uncertainty and numerous political challengers, it is definitely time for everyone to pay attention to your local offices, as a lot can and will happen.

Lamont is heavily favored in a primary, but we have to see what happens.

CT-01

Far less dramatically, over the 4th of July weekend, Longtime Democratic Rep. John Larson received a primary challenge from Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune.

Fortune’s challenge to Larson was seen as a surprise to the man who appointed her to the Board of Education last year, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arunanpalam. “Somebody texted me about it,” Arulampalam said. “I was surprised. It was the first I heard.”

In a summary from the publication, the Downballot, Larson’s last few months in office have been up and down. Larson recieved attention earlier in the year after suffering from a “complex partial seizure” on the house floor in Feburary. He got positive coverage a month later for a speech where he denounced Elon Musk. And again a second episode in April of a seizure the coverage went negative again.

Fortune told CT Mirror’s Mark Panikoas that she has nothing against Larson persay, just that “my reasons for running are my reasons for running” and “I want to bring my voice, my lived experiences, my fierce advocacy, and really try to do as much as I can to support people as they try to aspire to whatever it is that their dream is and their goals are.”

Fortune has no elective experience, but an interesting personal story . She arrived to the US as a tourists, and became an undocumented immigrant from Haiti. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut Law School and is currently an associate at Wiggin & Dana, specializing as a Trust and Estate Lawyer. She currently lives in the West End of Hartford with her spouse and three children. She testified to the legislature in 2016 in favor of financial aid for undocumented students noting how it helped her as a young immigrant for a better future. More of her story can be found from Mark Pazniokas’s article at the CT Mirror, found here.

How Fortune intends to beat the longtime representative. we will have to wait and she currently has no campaign website or positions. But as a resident of the district, I’m curious what kind of angle she will take on against the longterm incumbent, and how she will raise money.

CT-03

Immigration Attorney Damjan DeNoble filed against incumbent Democrat Rosa DeLauro in the state’s 3rd district. DeLauro, a powerful Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, has received some attention as she will 83 during her re-election.

DeNoble told the CT Mirror that he would have a website and video announcement out next week. He is a New Haven-based attorney, and currently lives in Guilford with his wife and three kids. He interestingly noted that his campaign strength is going to be media. He will definitely need it against someone whose been part of state politics for 30 years and is one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress. I’m interested to see how his campaign goes, he seems committed based on the interview, but it’s a huge uphill battle.

Similar to Ruth Fortune in the first district, he didn’t have criticisms of DeLauro specifically, but talked more about passing the torch to the next generation. DeNoble who is 40, is less than half DeLauro’s age. Similar to Larson’s campaign, DeLauro’s campaign manager said they welcome anyone who wants to run for a seat.

DeNoble had criticisms about the Democratic’s party branding and believes someone younger can do better “whole bunch of things that need to be done to bring our democratic system in balance and lower the temperature”.

Both Rep. Larson and Rep. DeLauro have never faced a primary challenger on the ballot during their entire tenures in Congress since their first victories (DeLauro 1990, Larson 1998).

CT-02, CT-05

Even more under the table, everyone but Rep. Jim Himes (CT-04) has a primary challenge on paper. But severely underfunded challenges don’t spell upset against longterm incumbents.

Jackson Taddeo-Waite of the town of Washington has filed for a primary against Incumbent 5th District Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. Kyle Gauck of the town of East Hampton has filed for a primary against Incumbent 2nd District Congressman Joe Courtney.

Filings are not perfect in saying a candidate is officially against an incumbent. And many of these challenges are on paper, with minimal funds and no campaign websites to speak of. Until that, we will refrain from going further here until these challengers rise a bit in prominence and/or funds. New people can also jump in so we will have to see what happens.

With the level of enthusiasm for challengers against longterm incumbents, it is possible that the state delegation, which has 3 members over the age of 72, receives at least one challenger on the ballot. But none of the challengers to members of Congress have our full attention yet, we will stay glued to the news for new developments, and if anyone raises enough money for a proper challenge.

8:00PM : 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.

There is one special election tonight in CT State House District 113. This Republican stronghold is centered on parts of the city of Shelton. The two candidates facing off tonight are Republican nominee Amy Romano and Democratic nominee Michael Duncan. This district voted for Donald Trump 54.66% to 43.90% for Kamala Harris (Trump +11.76). However, on the local level, the district is very republican with now State Sen. Jason Perillo never getting less than 64% of the vote since his victory in a 2007 special election.

If would like a more detailed discussion of the election taking place tonight, I wrote a previous article on March 13th discussing the district information and candidate bios.

8:05 PM – Hard to say when we would get the first results. There are only two precincts in this district. We got the first numbers at 8:38 in the Feb 21st election, but we did not get any numbers from the Shelton area until 9:40pm that day, so we will see!

8:40 PM – No results yet. But looking at the precinct data from the presidential election. The smaller of the two precincts, the Elizabeth Shelton School, voted for Trump by nearly 20 points (59-39). The larger precinct at the Shelton Intermediate School voted for Trump by a smaller 7.5 point margin (53-46).

Information found on the Secretary of State Website

9:15 PM – Both precincts have reported results and we have a winner.

As expected, Republican nominee Amy Romano is now state rep-elect. She wins a narrow 52.55 to 47.45 win against Democratic nominee Mike Duncan.

Despite the Democratic overperformances across the country, I expected a Republican overperformance in this district to the history of Republican dominance in the downballot offices of this section of Southwestern Connecticut. In addition to previous election results, favoring the Republican by nearly 30 points.

However, Duncan’s 5.1% margin of victory is a Democratic overperformance. Trump won here by 11.76 points, so that is a 6.6% Democratic overperformance in this Republican stronghold.

The streak of Democratic overperformances in special elections holds strong!

An illustration demonstrating colonists debating issues at an early New England Town Meeting. Credit to Panarizon Publishing Corp Story of America Card Series

Currently, it is March, and we are in an off-year election cycle. In Connecticut, there are not many elections that are not in November. We aren’t Wisconsin, we don’t have an important state supreme court election in April. In this quieter part of the election calendar, before campaigns start ramping up for local elections in November, it is a great time to go through different forms of town government throughout the state.

In this three-part article series, I will explore various forms of town government, including representative town meetings versus open town meetings, mayor-council versus council-manager systems, and the intricacies of select boards.

Types of Town Meeting Systems

In our first part, we will start with the Town Meeting system. There are a few different forms of this system

In larger towns that have this system, it is called a representative town meeting (RTM), where voters select members to participate in a town meeting. This is similar to a town council, but in some towns, there are far more members than in an average town council system.

In the purest form, a town meeting allows any registered voter in that town to vote on town affairs. This direct democracy system allows anyone to participate in the open system. An agenda is usually published before the meeting, listing items up for discussion. Only listed items are discussed unless voted upon based on a majority of attendees, though the rules for debate and placing items on the agenda depend on the individual town. Some towns have a financial town meeting, where registered voters have jurisdiction only on the annual town budget.

In most towns with this form of government, a formally elected select board takes control of other legislative duties.

History of the Town Meeting

The Town meeting is a style of government that originated from British colonists in the 17th century. New England’s Puritan settlements met in colonial meeting houses, allowing a place to discuss local and church affairs. The exact nature of these meetings is not well-known due to sparse record keeping, but one can imagine the people of a town showing up to discuss issues. In small settlements, it was simple enough.

The church and local governance were closely connected as settlers in colonial New England came here for religious freedom. In addition, towns had a large amount of autonomy as their home country’s monarch was an entire ocean away. 1600s transportation meant that a royal letter would take months, so colonies self-governed with the freedom to decide for themselves leading to the town meeting.

This isn’t to say the system was always fair. Towns had to reach unanimity somehow. This system allowed people to speak their minds to reach a common consensus. There weren’t always formally elected officials, and speaking up against the majority was viewed as socially unacceptable. It was more about keeping the peace than democratic ideals.

Adult men who owned a certain amount of property were allowed to participate in town meetings. But most adult men did not meet that requirement. Women and children under the age of 21 couldn’t vote. Qualifications varied greatly from town to town and were difficult to track. Some adult men who lived with their fathers were barred from voting in the 1700s. The progress over the centuries is evident through centuries of changes and town charters and the greater inclusion of all residents in towns.

The 230 Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Members of Greenwich

A town meeting system isn’t practical in large towns. The solution is to elect representatives akin to a town council. In some cases, much larger than a town council.

Greenwich, with a population of 63,518 as of the 2020 census, elects a staggering 230 elected representatives as a part of the RTM.

In Greenwich, the Board of Selectmen is a three-member committee. They are akin to an executive branch. They oversee daily operations, public safety and work, and town administration. This also includes town policies, appointments to committees, and administrative duties. They are elected at large by the entire town. The First Selectman is the equivalent of a mayor in other towns.

The RTM is in charge of town budgets and approves major decisions in the town, similar to a legislative branch. They are not paid and meet for eight meetings a year. The RTM in Greenwich is composed of 12 districts with between 11 to 26 members of each district.

In 2023, a whopping 345 candidates ran for 230 positions. This was historically more than in previous years. It is difficult to find many candidates for a position, as these elections are usually non-competitive as less people petition for the office than there are seats. The nature of these races also changed. A non-partisan elected position, this election involved multiple members running on slates to elect like-minded members to the RTM. Some candidates ran as a bipartisan slate in an attempt to as they describe an “extremist push” to take over the RTM. These bipartisan like-minded candidates kept voters informed through their website known as Sensible Greenwich.

During the 2023 election, there was a 50.82% turnout which is high for an off-year election. Some suggested it was due to residents being more engaged in local issues in Greenwich.

Representative Town Meetings in Other Towns

In addition to Greenwich, 6 other towns in the state have RTM governments. This includes Branford, Darien, Fairfield, Groton, Waterford, and Westport. The RTM is much smaller than Greenwich which has the largest RTM in the state. Branford has 30 members in 7 districts. Darien has 100 members in six districts. Fairfield has 40 members in 10 districts. Groton has 45 members in 7 districts. Waterford has 26 members in 4 districts. Westport has 36 members in 9 districts.

Similar to Greenwich, all of these towns have a select board (or Board of Selectman) that acts as an executive branch. Darien and Westport also elect their RTM as a non-partisan position. However, Branford, Fairfield, Groton, and Waterford are partisan positions with party identification appearing on ballots.

Town Meetings are Common in CT

Town Meeting is interestingly the most common form of government in the state of Connecticut. More than half of the state’s 169 municipalities still use this system. A town meeting has a select board which acts as the executive board handling the day-to-day operations.

Town Meetings in the Modern Era

A system built for small communities four centuries ago derived from English villages and Puritan church assemblies has struggled to adapt to the modern era, especially in smaller towns. Not too surprising.

The truth is though an interesting and unique system, it poses unique disadvantages. All towns that have a town meeting system have a population of less than 30,000 residents. The largest town with this form of government is Newtown (with a population of 27,173 as of the 2020 Census).

Some towns have opted to change this form of government, changing to professional town managers (council-managers), and town administrators, and giving more power to the board of selectmen. In the past decade, towns such as Simsbury, Clinton, and Cromwell have used town managers. Malborough increased the size of their board of selectmen from three to five, along with the addition of a town manager.

Another town, Chester has debated to change their form of government. Issues include high turnover and the fact that the first selectman does not have direct control over elected officials or boards. This leads to lack of accountability with less executive power.

In some smaller towns, there can be a lot of work with low pay, not attracting enough candidates. In addition, turnout for open town meetings tends to be very low with only the most vocal and passionate supporters turning out. Chester for example, between 2011 and 2021, only 127 votes for the regional school budget were cast out of more than 2500 eligible voters, leading to only a 5% participation rate.

The government has also grown more complex with more responsibilities for the individuals in charge of the town.

I will further explain the complexity of how select boards work with town meetings in Part 3. Part 2 will be published soon.

Thanks for reading!

Westport Selectwoman Jen Tooker is the first declared candidate in the Republican primary for Governor.

Overlook

We are more than 17 months away from the 2026 primary night in Connecticut. Despite this, one candidate has already entered the race, and many more have set up exploratory committees. Exploratory committees allow candidates to raise money and determine the viability of a campaign. Though not officially running, some candidates will eventually transition to a full campaign committee.

The Connecticut Republican Party

It has been a rough past election cycle for the Connecticut Republican Party. Though the Republican Party has made gains across the country thanks to the victory of President Donald Trump, the Connecticut Republican Party hasn’t made similar gains.

Republicans in 2016 came close to capturing the State Legislature. The State Senate came to a power-sharing agreement after an 18-18 tie occurred. The State House was narrowly held by Democrats 80-71. This is when Hillary Clinton won the state by 13.6 points in her 2016 Presidential Run. In 2024, despite Kamala Harris winning the state by a similar, but better 14.5 points, the Democrats enjoy a wide and large margin in both the State House and State Senate. The State House is currently 102D-51R, and the State Senate is 25D-11R. The Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers.

The GOP and the Governorship

The strongest office for the State GOP has historically been the governorship. Former Governor John Rowland (R) was governor from 1995 to his resignation in 2004 due to a corruption scandal that led to prison time. The party’s hold on the governorship was saved by the popular late Governor Jodi Rell who won a landslide victory in 2006 after succeeding Rowland to the governorship. Rell was popular thanks to her accomplishments with investments in the state’s railways, highways, and ports. She also restructured the state’s landmark campaign finance reforms and made a 100 million dollar investment into stem cell treatment. She did not run for re-election in 2010, leaving office in 2011.

Despite the Late Former Governor’s popularity and the 2010 GOP Wave, Democrats narrowly gained the governorship by less than 7,000 votes. This was two years after Former President Barack Obama carried the state in a 22-point landslide.

According to The Downballot, Republicans have not held any statewide office other than the governorship since former Treasurer Christopher Burnham won his position in 1994.

Official Candidates

Westport Selectwoman Jen Tooker announced her run for governor two weeks ago. Her campaign is planning to focus on issues such as fiscal responsibility, economic growth, and government accountability. In her announcement, Tooker said, “For too long, Connecticut families and businesses have been burdened by high taxes, rising costs, and a state government that lacks accountability”.

Tooker, a moderate, is focusing on fiscal issues and taxes. The Westport Selectwoman won her 2021 election by less than a point. This is also her first run for statewide office.

Tooker’s narrow but impressive win in her 2021 race for Selectwoman

This narrow win was impressive as Westport has voted solidly Democratic on the federal level, voting for Kamala Harris by an almost 50-point margin (71-27).

Candidates Who Have Set up Exploratory Committees

Erin Stewart

Erin Stewart announces her run at New Britain City Hall on Jan. 28th, 2024. Credit to CT Public Radio

Erin Stewart, the longtime Mayor of New Britain, announced she set up a committee in January after noting last year she would not run for another term as mayor. She is highly likely to enter the race. Stewart won the position in 2013 against Democratic Incumbent Tim O’Brien. She was one of the youngest mayors in the state when she won her mayorship.

Similar to Selectwoman Tooker, Stewart has been able to win seats in deep-blue towns despite their party affiliation. Due to this, they would likely run in similar lanes as candidates. Stewart has won more than 60% of the vote in her last two mayoral runs, despite New Britain being solidly blue at all other levels of government.

Stewart is running a more cautious and more prepared approach to her campaign compared to her previous statewide run. In 2018, Stewart announced a late run for governor. Unprepared and facing a very large competitive field, she opted to drop down to a run for Lieutenant Governor where she placed 2nd. Stewart has noted in interviews that she learned from that experience.

Peter Lumaj and Matthew Corey

Two other candidates have set up exploratory committees. Both are well-versed in Connecticut campaigns. Peter Lumaj, who was the 2014 nominee for Treasurer and lost the 2022 Republican primary for senate, formed an exploratory committee last month for a statewide office. Though Lumaj came close in what was a good year for Republicans in 2014, losing 47-51 for Secretary of State. His poor performance in 2022 and multiple other statewide runs have not established him as a likely nominee as of this posting.

Matthew Corey, a small business owner, and US Navy Veteran, recently lost a campaign for the Senate to Democratic Incumbent Chris Murphy. He also has formed an exploratory committee. Corey did do marginally better this time around compared to his 2018 senate run by the smallest of margins. He got 39.4% in his 2018 run (losing by 20.1%), and 39.6% in his 2024 run (losing by 19.9%).

Corey though also has not been a serious candidate for office. He benefited in the primary last year running in a low turnout primary and the state GOP did not target the Senate race at all last year placing all of their resources on the race in the 5th Congressional District. Though he and Lumaj are more conservative than Tooker and Stewart, which could benefit them in a primary, his also sub-par performance for two cycles likely does not make him either a likely nominee. However things could change over the following year.

It is important to note that just because a candidate has formed an exploratory committee, it does not mean the candidate will enter the race.

The Problem of Being Moderate or Conservative?

Other candidates could enter such as businessman Bob Stefanowski, who lost his previous two runs in 2018 and 2022, to Governor Ned Lamont. The field faces many questions and difficulties. Foremost, navigating the divide between the party’s more moderate establishment and its conservative base.

Candidates like Tooker and Stewart are better positioned to appeal to the general electorate, given their past success in winning local office in deep-blue areas. However, winning the Republican primary is a different challenge. Connecticut’s closed primary system means only registered Republicans can vote, and the party’s most engaged voters tend to be more conservative. In addition, this group of voters will be hesitant on candidates who are not only moderate but have to prove their Republican bonafide. This creates a balancing act: a candidate must embrace enough conservative positions to secure the nomination while maintaining a broad appeal for a statewide general election in a state where Trump lost by around 15 points.

Stewart seems to know that, considering she is comparing herself more to Trump and mentioning that she voted for him all three times. These are two things, she likely hasn’t been mentioning as much in her past mayoral runs in her deep blue city. But neither candidate will make the general election without talking about Trump. Trump is the Republican Party, and Republican Primary voters in Connecticut love Trump and expect the candidates will as well.

State Party Endorsement

Candidates like Tooker and Stewart also will compete for the state party’s endorsement. Candidates with their moderate establishment reputations are usually favored but the Connecticut GOP has not had a great track record in recent endorsements for statewide office.

In 2022, The State GOP gave their senate endorsement to State House Minority Leader Themis Klarides who was favored to win the primary to go up against Democratic Incumbent Richard Blumenthal. However, days before the primary, President Donald Trump gave his endorsement to the more conservative Businesswoman Leora Levy, who ended up beating Klarides 51-40. Klarides also made the mistake of mentioning she hadn’t voted for Trump in 2020, which might have caused President Trump to get involved in the first place.

Similarly, in 2024, Beacon Falls Selectman Gerry Smith decided to run against Democratic Incumbent Chris Murphy for his senate seat. He was the only notable candidate in the race until Murphy’s 2018 opponent Matthew Corey made the ballot at the GOP convention forcing a primary. Corey benefited from name recognition in a low-turnout Republican primary in August beating Smith 55-45, but lost by a similar margin to Murphy in 2018, losing by about 20 points.

Overview

This means the state GOP might not have as much pull in deciding who gets the nomination. It will be up to the Republican primary voters. Westport Selectwoman Jen Tooker is the only one in the race officially. New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart and Businessmen Peter Lumaj and Matthew Corey have formed committees for plausible campaigns. Many more could plausibly enter. We still have 17 months to go, and a lot can change. Candidates we will have to figure out the balance between conservative positions to win the nomination, and the appearance of moderation to win the election. We will have to wait and see!

L to R: Amy Romano, Republican nominee, and Michael Duncan, Democratic nominee. Credit to CT Post

Brief Overview

Gov. Ned Lamont has called for another special election on April 22nd. This special election will fill the vacancy left by the winner of the Feb 25th special election for the 21st State Senate district won by former Rep. Jason Perillo (R-Shelton).

113th State House Seat District Information

The 113th State House seat has long been centered around parts of Shelton. This Republican stronghold has not had many changes in redistricting, only minor changes within Shelton at times since the 70s. State Senator Jason Perillo has held the seat since his victory in a 2007 special election. He has never faced a difficult re-election, winning more than 64% in all his elections.

Before his 2007 special election, the seat was held by the late Richard Belden (R-Shelton), who held the seat for more than 32 years after winning it in the 1974 election. He also never faced a difficult re-election bid, with his lowest victory percentage being his first in 1974 at 54.8%. Belden and Perillo faced multiple re-election campaigns unopposed, with Perillo notably being unopposed in 2022 and 2024.

Analyzing CT Secretary of State Precinct Data, I assessed how the district would have voted in the 2024 Presidential Election. Donald Trump won the district, 54.66% to Kamala Harris’ 43.90%. Similar to the special election in the 21st state senate election last month, the GOP is much stronger downballot in this region of Connecticut. Though special elections around the country, notably in Iowa, have led to large Democratic overperformances, this region does not have a similar election history, with Republicans having held this area for decades, especially at the local level.

The district is likely to remain in Republican control.

Election breakdown at the presidential level for the 2024 election sorted by precinct in Shelton.

113th State House Candidates

In the 113th State House seat, the Republican nominee will be Shelton Board of Education Chairwoman Amy Romano, who will race off against Democratic nominee personal care manager Michael Duncan.

Amy Romano has six years of experience on the Shelton Board of Education. She is the chairwoman of the committee for the 2023-2025 term. She has worked in the real estate, business development, and construction industries for the past two decades. A longtime Shelton resident, her vision includes focusing on issues such as affordability, lower electric rates, investing in education, and standing up for seniors.

Michael Duncan is a senior manager at Edgewell Personal Care. Since March 2021, Duncan has been a commissioner of the Shelton Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA). Duncan lost a 2021 election bid for a position on the Shelton Alderboard in District 3, coming in 4th place. Duncan’s focuses in his run for state representative include lower taxes, affordable utility bills, and better job opportunities for his constituents

Governor Ned Lamont presented his State of the State Address to the CT Legislature on Jan 8th, 2025. Credit to CT Mirror

Ned Lamont faces a challenging decision in his future political career. Lamont and six other incumbent governors around the country could be seeking their third (or fourth) four-year terms leading their respective states. But what will Governor Lamont decide to do?

A Brief Look At Lamont’s Political History

Lamont, a long-time figure in Connecticut politics, started his career as Greenwich Selectman in 1987. He served for one term. In 1990, he lost an entertaining three-way race for a state senate seat won by then-State Rep. William Nickerson (R-Greenwich). Lamont served on various boards in Greenwich over the following decade.

Lamont gathered national attention after beating the late Senator Joe Liberman in a Democratic primary (52-48) in 2006. Running as an anti-Iraq war candidate, and against Liberman’s more conservative leanings, Lamont shocked the nation, leading Lieberman to be the only incumbent senator to lose renomination that year. As many know, Lieberman won the race as a third-party candidate, holding his seat for a fourth and final term.

After the loss, Lamont sought the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010. He lost to the eventual winner, Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, who upset Lamont 57-43.

In 2018, Governor Dannel Malloy announced he wouldn’t run for a third term, Lamont tried to secure the nomination for a second time. He was successful, easily defeating Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim 81-18. After a tight general election, Lamont overcame Malloy’s unpopularity while benefiting from the 2018 blue wave, defeating fellow businessman Bob Stefanowski 49-46. In a 2022 rematch, Governor Lamont beat Stefanowski more comfortably winning 56-43.

History of Running for a 3rd Term

Multiple governors around the country are debating running for a third or fourth term leading their state. Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas already announced he would run for a fourth term. His fellow Republicans, Kim Reynolds (IA) and Brad Little(ID), are eligible for a third term. Lamont’s Democratic colleagues, Tim Walz (MN), JB Pritzker (IL), and Tony Evers (WI), are also mulling third-term runs. Phil Scott (VT) is eligible for a sixth term as Governor, though term lengths are only two years in Vermont.

The phenomenon of governors in power for over a decade was uncommon in previous centuries. Dr. Eric Ostermeier at the University of Minnesota comments that factors such as “electoral laws, traditions, and, perhaps, voter weariness” meant fewer governors had the option to win three or more terms leading their state. Term lengths varied around the country for centuries. In Connecticut, a Governor’s term length was one year (if you didn’t think election season wasn’t stressful enough) before expanding to two years in 1876 and four years in 1950.

Connecticut, one of the 13 states with no term limits, is no stranger to third-term elected governors. Disgraced Former Governor John Rowland won his third term in 2002, winning by 12 points to Democratic nominee former Comptroller Bill Curry. Rowland did not finish his term after resigning due to corruption charges in 2004.

In the modern era, no governor of Connecticut has run for and completed a third four-year term. Over 200 years ago, Jonathan Trumbull led the state as governor for 14 years (though seven were as Colonial Governor) from 1769 to 1784. His son, Jonathan Trumbull Jr, has the official title of longest-serving Governor of Connecticut, from December 1st, 1797 to his death on August 7th, 1808. Luckily for Lamont, unlike the 1800s, he does not have to face voters every single year.

What Issues does Lamont Face?

Gov. Ned Lamont at the governor’s residence in Hartford in 2020. Credit to CT Mirror.

Lamont won’t likely decide to run until (at the earliest) the end of Connecticut’s legislative session in early June.

The biggest complaint among state legislators about Lamont is his fiscal guardrails on the budget. Lamont, a noted fiscal moderate, has been unwilling to spend the surplus budget on other needs. In addition, Lamont does not want to increase the spending cap, noting that ignorance of the cap led the state to a rough financial shape in the 2010s. Connecticut was in financial trouble throughout the 2010s, leading to the deep unpopularity of former Gov. Dan Malloy, whose approval rating was one of the lowest in the country.

Legislative leaders, on the other hand, noted the state will end the fiscal year with a 1.7 billion dollar surplus. Lamont does not want to touch that fund, despite the need for funds in public education.

Despite those arguments with the legislature, with a 65% approval rating, Lamont is the sixth most popular governor in the country (second among Democrats). Unlike his neighbor governors, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and Gov. Dan McKee (D-RI), he doesn’t face any substantial primary threats if he decides to run for a third term. Hochul and McKee face low approval ratings and likely Democratic challengers in 2026.

Lamont’s plausible successors, including Lieutenant Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, Attorney General William Tong, and Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, have said they’ll defer to Lamont if he runs for a third term. Some, including Tong, Bronin, and State Comptroller Sean Scalon, have encouraged Lamont to seek a third term. Bysiewicz has made it no secret that she would run for governor if Lamont doesn’t run and has asked for commitments in support from many leaders around the state (just in case he doesn’t run).

Lamont’s approval rating was in the 30s before the COVID-19 pandemic. One of his priorities was bringing back tolls into the state. This did not help him with voters. His handling of the pandemic was generally seen as successful, allowing his approval rating to increase to the 60s. In addition, the state’s fiscal guardrails were successful in helping the state’s finances, one of Lamont’s biggest accomplishments as leader of the state.

In November, the governor picked Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves as the leader of the state Democratic party. The pick was seen as 1. Lamont is focused on bringing back the urban vote for the Democratic party, which has been declining in recent elections. 2. Lamont’s continued focus on success for the party is plausible evidence that he will run for a third term. Alves is also not close to any possible successors, giving Lamont more leeway on his decision.

Lamont has also chased higher office for over a decade, from his Senate loss in 2006 to his win as Governor in 2018. He doesn’t seem to be slowing down, despite turning 71 earlier this year.

Though post-2024 election of primary voters may be more weary of older politicians, as Lamont would be 73 in a second term, the governor doesn’t face any signs of a primary challenge. Primary challenges in Connecticut are also notoriously difficult due to ballot laws and are exceedingly rare. Lamont’s popularity and all his plausible competitors’ deference to him place him in a strong spot.

Final Prediction

I believe Lamont will run for a third term, but only Ned Lamont can make that decision, and we will find out soon enough.

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!