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.

Welcome to the CT Election Guide

Your Go-To Resource for Connecticut’s State and Local Political Races

Welcome to the blog! I am thrilled to have you here as we embark on a journey to make Connecticut’s elections more accessible, engaging, and informative for everyone.

National politics is in one word “chaotic”, but sometimes he feels far removed from us. We can’t do much about how another state elects and picks its legislators and representatives. But we can serve an important role concerning the elections in our state. The 2024 presidential election was exhausting for many, so if you want to tune out national politics and focus on what’s happening in your backyard this is the blog for you!

The focus here at the CT Election Guide is on down-ballot elections—the races that often fly under the radar but have a profound impact on our lives. From state legislative contests to local town elections, these are the elections that shape education, healthcare, public safety, taxes, and infrastructure in our daily lives.

In the future, we will focus on the 2028 presidential primary races in the state, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. This blog focuses on elections down the ballot that concern the residents of the state of Connecticut and for any other interested readers of fascinating Connecticut politics.

The goal of this blog is to provide useful commentary and information about current elections in the state of Connecticut. Whether there is an important town council election in your city, or a wide-open primary for a congressional seat is incoming, we want to make sure you are covered. Turnout in off-year elections is much lower than in a presidential year, we hope some information can be useful is driving people to the voting booth.

I’ll do my best to cover as many elections as possible, but Connecticut has 169 municipalities, 151 state house seats, 36 state senate seats, 5 congressional seats, and 6 statewide offices serving over 3.6 million residents. There are limits to how much I can tackle, but I will get out as much content and analysis as possible

In 2025, we’ll see town elections statewide, while 2026 will bring federal, statewide, and state legislature elections.

Thank you for joining me to explore and highlight Connecticut’s political landscape. Let’s make local and state elections more engaging, transparent, and impactful together!