Barbara Smyth, Democratic nominee for Norwalk mayor, door-knocking with State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff on September 8th, before the Democratic primary. Source: Bob Duff/Facebook

Table of Contents

Early Voting

Early Voting begins today, October 20th, for local municipal elections. This offers registered voters two weeks to cast ballots for local mayors, selectmen, council members, and board of education members ahead of Election Day. Election day will be on November 4th.

The times of Early Voting are listed below:

Mon Oct 20th to Mon Oct 27th, Oct 29th, Oct 31st to Nov 2nd – 10:00am to 6:00pm

Tuesday Oct 28th, Thursday Oct 30th – 8:00am to 8:00pm

Election Day – Nov 4th – 6:00am to 8:00pm

Early voting locations can be found here. Each town has one designated location for early voting.

Voter registration is offered at early voting sites, and absentee ballots can be requested by visiting myvote.ct.gov/getmyab.

Overview

Though I cannot cover all elections taking place on November 4th, I would love to dive into elections in the state’s six largest cities.

I will have another article later in the week discussing some competitive races across the state.

By population, the state’s largest cities are Bridgeport, Stamford, New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, and Norwalk.

It is important to note that not every city or town has a mayoral race this year. In those cities, we will talk about council races and other local races if applicable.

Let’s dive in!

Bridgeport

Longtime incumbent Democrat Joe Ganim is not up for re-election this year. Ganim ran in four separate elections in 2023-24 to claim another term after his initial Democratic primary win was marked with ballot irregularities in a race that garnered national attention.

Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas launched a special advertising blitz to remind city residents how to properly cast their ballots. This is an effort to not have another election marked by allegations of ballot fraud. 13 Individuals have been charged in connection with the misuse of mail-in ballots in the last two mayoral elections. Thomas wants voters to know the legal rules of returning absentee ballots.

There are races this year for the positions of Board of Education, City Sheriff, and Councilmen.

There are also two charter revision questions. Question 1 asks voters to approve a charter amendment to strengthen ethics, reform civil service, and establish uniform standards for departments and boards. Question 2 asks voters to discontinue the election of the positions of Town Clerk, City Clerk, and Municipal Sheriffs by 2031, after which they will be filled by a non-partisan civil service selection process.

Board of Education

Bridgeport 2025 Ballot for Board of Education and City Sheriff. Source: Secretary of State

Bridgeport is a very Democratic city. Kamala Harris won here 73-26 last year. However, unlike some other towns, Independents have gotten a decent portion of the vote across all races, running ahead of the Republican ticket.

Mayoral challenger John Gomes was about 200 votes short of Joe Ganim on their election day bout as an independent. The Independent candidates for city sheriff got more votes than the Republicans also in 2023. Independents all got about 3,000 votes, while Republicans got around 1800 votes. The result was similar on the Board of Education.

This year, incumbents Joseph Sokolovic and Robert Traber are running on both the Independent and Working Families ballot lines.

Chair Jennifer Perez will run as a Democrat. She was named chair last year after former chairperson Christine Baptiste-Perez faced criticism and lost a vote. She was supported by Traber and Sokolovic, along with two other members. Democrats are basically a lock for the three majority seats available this election.

The two minority seats will be between the Republicans and incumbents Sokolovic and Traber. Joe Sokolovic won on the Working Families line 4 years ago, and Independent Willie Medina won 2 years ago. As seen in the 2023 results, Republicans have been lagging behind Independents for the last two seats. This year will be another test, but Sokolobic and Traber are likely favored.

Councilmen

Democrats are heavily favored in all council districts. Though they are independents running in some districts, they will struggle despite the controversies with some incumbent council members. Of the 13 individuals charged with the absentee ballot investigation, this includes incumbents Alfredo Castillo and Maria Pererira. Despite this, Pereria won her primary in September, and both have continued to win re-election despite their controversies and the ongoing investigation.

Stamford

Mayor

Incumbent Democrat Mayor Caroline Simmons is running for a second term. She faces Republican former Board of Education member Nicola Tarzia. Simmons will also be on the Independent Ballot line.

Simmons won a difficult 2021 campaign against Independent former MLB manager Bobby Valentine. After successfully primarying Incumbent Mayor David Martin in a landslide 63-36 victory. Simmons won a close 53-47 victory against Valentine in the general election.

Simmons and her faction have won multiple battles on issues ranging from charter revisions to city committee primaries. She and her allies were also able to oust two local state representatives who disagreed with them. In the recent Democratic primaries, Simmons endorsed allies all won their primaries, as she has successfully installed her allies in all committees across the town through multiple primary elections.

At a recent debate, Simmons and Tarzia both said they were interested in developing the South End of the city. A question on the train station in the south end, Simmons talked about continuing parking opportunities and rezoning land around the station to create new housing. Tarzia mentioned how he said there should also have been more amenities around the station.

Tarzia, a former member of the board of education for a decade (from 2000 to 2004, and 2016 to 2022), told the CT Examiner how the city’s government is a monopoly dominated by Democrats, and due to that, the party dominance has meant the city government isn’t improving. He hopes to bring ‘balance’ and bring other voices into the mayoral-appointed committees.

Since this is a typical party-line race, unlike her 2021 race, Simmons is expected to easily beat Tarzia in this 63-36 Harris-won city. Pavia had optimism he could win in an upset, in his interview with the examiner. The last Republican to win the mayoral office in Stamford was Michael Pavia in 2009, who served for one term.

Boards/Town Clerk/Constable

There are several other races on the ballot in Stamford. This includes the Town Clerk, Board of Finance, Board of Education, Constable, and Board of Representatives.

Democrats are favored in the races for Town Clerk, Board of Finance, Board of Education, and Constables.

For the Board of Representatives, some districts are closer than others. In 2023, District 18 had a 7-vote margin of victory for Democrat Karen Camporeale against Republican Stephen Garst.

In 2021, there was a close race in District 17 where Democrat Bobby Pavia beat Republican Maria Fedeli 52-48, showing how it really depends on the district.

New Haven

Mayor

In New Haven, Democratic Incumbent mayor Justin Elicker is running fourth term against Republican challenger Steve Orosco.

Elicker will also be on the Working Families Ballot Line. Orosco will also be on the Independent Party Line.

This was the first time in his tenure that Elicker did not face a Democratic opponent in a primary.

At their September 30th debate, Elicker and Orosco discussed topics ranging from crime to affordable housing to federal government intervention.

Orosco said he intends to improve crime statistics by fulling staffing and funding the police department. He said, “Everything is a band-aid, we are not attacking the root of the problem,” while discussing why more police enforcement is needed. Orosco also discussed making sure Yale is accountable to pay more taxes. Elikcer said Yale has been accountable.

Elicker talked about the city’s ongoing effort to increase affordable housing.

On discussions about ICE, the two candidates varied. Orosco said he believes ICE activity will be a non-issue after recent changes on enforcement, and said he would accept help from the National Guard if needed. Elicker said ICE is not welcome to the city, and help from the National Guard is not needed or wanted.

Elicker is heavily favored to win a fourth term in one of the most liberal cities in the state. Kamala Harris won New Haven in an 81-17 landslide last year. The last time a Republican was elected mayor of New Haven was in 1953. Elicker has also never gotten less than 70% of the vote in his last three mayoral races.

Alderperson/City Clerk/Board of Education

Democrats are heavily favored to hold all of their seats. Republicans don’t hold any seats on the 30-member board of Alders.

Republicans are also only running candidates in Ward 3, Ward 8, Ward 12, Ward 13, Ward 18, and Ward 30.

The reddest Ward in New Haven is the 18th, but even the 18th Ward was 59-41 for Kamala Harris. This will likely be the most competitive race of the Alderperson races due to partisan lean, but Moore is expected to win. Zelma Harris, who lost to Moore in the September 9th primary, is on the ballot as a petitioning candidate.

An Independent is running in Ward 16, Rafael Funtes Jr.

There is a race for City Clerk between Democrat Michael Smart and Republican Deborah Reyes-Quinones. Smart is also on the Independent ballot line.

There is also a race for the Board of Education District 1 between Democrat Edward T Joyner and Republican John Carlson.

Democrats are favored in both races.

Hartford

Board of Education

There is only one race on the ballot in the state’s capital city. Hartford Mayor Arunan Arunanpalam won a 4-year term in 2023, so he won’t be on the ballot this year along with the rest of the council.

In the Board of Education race, the four candidates running are Democrats Francoise Deristel-Leger, Cristher Estrada-Perez, Tyrone Walker, and Working Families Candidate Shonta Browdy.

Voters can vote for up to 3 candidates, but since there are 3 majority seats and 1 minority seat, all four candidates will win. No Republicans filed for this office.

Waterbury

Democratic Incumbents Michael Dalton and Stephen Conway are both running unopposed for the positions of City Clerk and City Sheriff.

Incumbent Democratic Mayor Paul Perenerswki won’t be on the ballot this year, as he secured a four-year term in 2023.

Board of Aldermen/Board of Education

After a contentious primary on the Republican side, where seven of the ten endorsed Republican candidates prevailed over primary opponents, Republicans hoped to unite in the hope of making gains on the Board of Aldermen.

The current make-up of the fifteen-seat board is Democrats hold ten seats, Republicans hold three, an independent holds one, and an unaffiliated voter holds the last one.

In District 4, Republican incumbent George Noujaim and his running mate Paul Konas won their primary after not getting the Republican endorsement. Noujaim did not receive the endorsement of the Republican Town Committee because he was seen as “too cozy” with the Democratic majority. The 3rd challenger that will be on the ballot is Brian McEntree in the 5th district.

Though GOP chair of Waterbury, Dawn Maiorano, is hopeful to make gains on the boards, the issue is that Waterbury voters haven’t elected a Republican mayor or a Republican Board of Aldermen majority is the last 25 years. Republicans, though, see an opportunity since 4 Democratic incumbents on the Board of Aldermen, and 2 on the Board of Education, are not running again

In 2023, Democrats did the best in District 2 and District 5, winning by large margins. The margin in District 3 was smaller, but comfortable. Republicans did well in District 1 and District 4. The closest races will likely be in those two districts. 4 candidates are running in each district (Five in District 2), and the top 3 will win a seat on the board.

On the Board of Education, five seats are up for grabs. Six candidates are running: three Democrats and three Republicans. The top five of the six candidates will win a seat on the Board of Education.

Norwalk

Mayor

The marquee race on the ballot in Norwalk is the open-mayoral race being vacated by Democrat Harry Rilling, who is retiring. Democrat Barbara Smyth is facing off against Republican Vinny Scicchitano.

Common Council President Smyth won a tough Democratic primary against Common Council member Darlele Young by a mere 75-vote margin. She will also be on the Working Families ballot line.

Petitioning Candidates John Kydes and Erik Vitagilone will also be on the ballot. Kydes is a former council president.

At a recent debate with the four candidates, they shared their visions of the city’s future. Smyth noted how her experience in both the classroom (as a former teacher) and in city government gives her a unique perspective to understand the city’s needs. Scicchitano said he is there to represent the 40% of the community who feel like they are disenfranchised from the process. He said he was the most qualified to unify the community.

Vitaglione said he is there to represent the households that make less than $75,000 a year, the renters who are cost-burdened, and the residents who haven’t participated in city politics before. Kydes said he joined the race because he felt the city is going down the wrong path, and his experience is necessary.

They all cited affordability, education, and taxes among the city’s challenges. However, they had different approaches to some of the issues. On affordable housing, Vitaglione called for a more diverse array of “housing stock”. Kydes questioned how the new developments affect schools and affordability. Smyth proposed a housing consortium, Scicchitano said the city needs to define its goals before expanding any further.

Norwalk’s Democratic delegation endorsed Smyth for mayor, including State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff.

Though Norwalk is also very blue at the federal level, voting for Kamala Harris by a 64-35 margin. In the 2023 mayoral race, Rilling won a 55-45 victory over Scicchitano. Since Scicchitano is running a second time, he might benefit from name recognition among voters. Smyth is still favored, but the mix of petitioning candidates along with a strong challenge from Scicchitano could lead to a closer race than expected.

Ballot Questions and Other Offices

Norwalk has a long two-page ballot this year. There are several races, including City Sheriff, Councilmen-At Large, Councilman, Board of Education, Constable, Taxing District Commissioner, and Treasurer.

The one race without much anticipation is for Incumbent Town Clerk Richard McQuaid. McQuaid is on both the Democratic and Republican ballot lines after being cross-endorsed, so he will be victorious on election day.

For the Councillmen and Board of Education, there is a slate of Independent candidates running. Though this could make the margins between Democrats and Republicans more competitive, during the 2023 race, however, the Independent candidates only got about 1% of the vote, far behind the other two parties on the ballot.

A district-by-district guide can be found here from the Publication Nancy on Norwalk.

There are also three ballot questions this year. There seems to be a movement in some cities to move elections to 4-year terms instead of two. This passed in New Haven last year, and some other towns also have these questions on their ballots. Question 2 will create a four-year term for Mayor and Town Clerk in 2029, and the Council in 2031. Another change on Question 3 will amend the charter to provide council members with compensation of 3% of the mayor’s budgeted salary from 2029.

Question 1 on the Charter Change is longer and includes a couple of changes, so I will put the text here below.

Democrats are favored in most races in Norwalk, though it will be interesting to see how the petitioning candidates do in the mayoral race.

Thanks for Reading!

Adam Sendroff addresses the crowd after winning the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at the Knights of Columbus in Hamden. Credit to Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media

Overview

21 Towns and Cities held local municipal primaries last night. Let’s go through some of the notable results and how candidates fared during an off-year September primary.

We did live-tweet the results throughout the night. To get updates, either local election news or announcements of the publication of written articles, you can find us on Twitter, which is linked here.

For additional information on any races, before I go into results, please use our Ultimate September 9th Primary Guide as a reference.

In the top races of the night…

Adam Sendroff and Barbara Smyth both won Democratic mayoral primaries in Hamden and Norwalk, respectively.

Republican Incumbent First Selectman George Temple and Kevin Cunningham survive tough primaries in Oxford and Plainfield

Just a note, in some race summaries, my screenshots will come from the Secretary of State’s Website Election Database. The results are unofficial and are not certified. However, many candidates have leads that won’t be changed with recounts.

Turnout

Turnout was low as expected. On the Republican side, the turnout was 23.36% (note – turnout for the Griswold Republican primary is not noted on the website). On the Democratic side, turnout was only 19.35%.

However, turnout varied among different towns. On the Republican side, turnout varied from 47.28% in Oxford to 12.98% in Greenwich. On the Democratic side, turnout was as high as 45.33% in Chester, to as low as 11.95% in Stamford.

Note – All turnout numbers were found on the Secretary of State’s Website.

Differences in turnout were usually due to the type of race. Races for First Selectman or Mayor were much higher than in towns that had races only for boards or councils.

Hamden

Former Board of Education member Adam Sendroff won a convincing victory last night over party-endorsed Dominique Baez and three others.

Sendroff won 46.57% of the vote, securing more than one thousand votes more than party-endorsed Legislative Council President Dominique Baez.

All the candidates demonstrated levels of support. It was a large field that included multiple elected officials in Hamden.

Some candidates had controversies that were difficult to overcome. City Council President Dominique Baez was perceived as the frontrunner for many weeks. However, the New Haven Register reported that Baez’s workforce development company was evicted due to 40k in unpaid rent in 2021.

This was unwelcome news in a town where voters were looking for someone to lead them on fiscal responsibility.

I underestimated Sendroff’s level of support by a fair amount. My race rating was a Toss-Up after Baez’s issues because I wasn’t sure what to expect. I did not expect an overwhelming win for Sendroff.

Sendroff impressively not only won against another elected official in Democratic Registrar of Voters Lushonda Howard, but two former mayoral candidates in Walter Morton IV and Peter Cyr.

What to Expect in November

Normally, in a town that Kamala Harris won 73-25, we’ll call it a day, and tell Adam Sendroff, congrats, you’re the mayor in November.

However, Republicans see an opening due to the financial crisis plaguing the city.

In addition, we highlighted in a previous article that Incumbent Mayor Lauren Garrett only won in 2023 by 12 points, and only 10 points in 2021. So we expect a much closer race than the federal toplines suggest.

Adam Sendroff’s convincing victory, though, should give Democrats some much-needed confidence. Sendroff will face 24-year-old Jonathan Katz, a political newcomer, in November.

Hamden Councilmen Districts

In our primary guide, I said that out of all the challengers to the endorsed candidate in Hamden. I thought that Grace Teodosio had the best chance of an upset over an endorsed candidate, since Renee Hoff was an appointed incumbent who hadn’t run in a primary prior, and Teodosio had an in-depth campaign website.

Teodosio proved my suspicions correct and won over party-endorsed and incumbent Renee Hoff 54-46.

As expected, incumbents in Districts 7 and 8, Adrian Webber and Ted Stevens, comfortably won over their challengers.

District 9, however, will absolutely go to a recount. I thought the race could be unpredictable as the 2023 Democratic Nominee, Barbara Walker, was against party-endorsed Tameeka Parks.
I also thought the race would narrowly favor Tameeka Parks, though I did not expect this close of a margin. As of right now, Tameeka Parks has 220 votes. Walker has 218. A recount could shift that narrow of a margin, but Parks is likely to move on in November; but we will have to wait to see.

In November, Democrats are favored in Councilmen Districts 6,7, and 8. In District 9, the Democratic winner will have to face Republican Jim Anthony in November. Anthony won 55-45 in 2023.

Norwalk

Politicos expected a close race in Norwalk last night, and a close result it was. Common Council President Barbara Smyth took a 77 vote victory over Common Council Member Darlene Young.

I expected the race to be close due to a couple of factors: Smyth narrowly won the party endorsement from local Democrats, and Young had more than enough signatures to make the ballot.

Local Democrats also remarked that both women have the strength, dedication, and leadership needed to be mayor

What to Expect in November

Norwalk is another town where Democrats have done well on the federal level. Kamala Harris won a comfortable 64-35 victory here last year.

However, similarly to Hamden, Republicans have done better in local races than federal races. Incumbent Mayor Harry Rilling won 55% of the vote against Vinny Scicchitano in 2023. Though he won a larger 64-36 victory two years prior in 2021.

Democrats are likely to win in November, but Republicans can put up a fight. Smyth will face the 2023 Republican nominee Scicchitano in November, who does have name recognition from his previous run.

Chester

Incumbent First Selectman Cynthia Lignar comfortably beat challenger Joe Cohen in an 81-19 landslide.

Lignar got 438 votes to Cohen’s 106 votes.

There will be no Republican candidate on the ballot in November, as 2023 Republican nominee Ron Amara says “the Democrats would have glided to victory“. Amara did back Cohen, but Lignar won comfortably and will be unopposed in November.

Stratford

Party-endorsed David Chess won a landslide victory over challenger Linda Manos. Chess won an 87-13 victory. The largest margin of victory of the night.

Chess, a doctor and businessman, won the support of the Democratic Town Committee by a large margin, though I expected a closer race. Manos told the CTPost that she submitted over 1000 signatures in her primary petition, though she barely got 1/4 of that in the primary. Though I think some of those signatures were not registered Democrats, and the number was closer to the 650 needed signatures.

What to Expect in November

Chess faces a very difficult race in November. He will go up against two-term Republican incumbent Laura Hoydick. Stratford is a very Democratic town with Kamala Harris winning 59-40 last year.

However, Laura Hoydick won a landslide 63-37 victory in 2021, so Chess will need to get partisan Democrats to vote for him over Hoydick and prevent voters from crossing over. He definitely has a chance, as 2025 is expected to be a much bluer year for Democrats than 2021. However, one should not doubt Connecticut’s split-ticket voting tendencies.

Bloomfield

As readers know, Bloomfield has had a turbulent couple of years with a lot of infighting amongst local Democrats.

On the Town Council, it looks like the majority of the Row A endorsed party candidates emerged victorious. However, one challenger has made it into the top six.

I expected the Row A candidates to win with a larger margin, but it was a nailbiter of a result. Recent developments and scandals on the new town library and numerous budget amendments meant a lot of turmoil for former Bloomfield Mayor Danielle Wong’s administration and her fellow councilors. This gave an opening for the challengers.

Wong, who resigned last month, was replaced by Mayor Tony Harrington, who led all candidates with 1340 votes. The top six candidates of the twelve on the ballot that will go on to November are (endorsed candidates marked with a *)

Tony Harrington* – 1340
Cindi Lloyd* – 1214
Michael Oliver* – 1188
Darrell Goodwin* – 1172
Suzette DeBeatham-Brown – 1155
Todd Cooper* – 1142

Former Mayor Suzette DeBeatham-Brown looks like she will make a return to the town council after a brutal loss in 2023. Endorsed candidate Ola Aina has fallen short. Another former mayor, Sydney Schulman, was only 19 votes behind Todd Cooper. Other endorsed candidates were within two hundred voters of Todd Cooper, but they fell short.

Bloomfield is one of the most liberal towns in the state, voting for Kamala Harris by an 84-15 margin. This means the six Democrats are virtually assured of their victory in November.

Oxford

A race filled with drama between First Selectman incumbent George Temple and his longtime protege Jeffrey Luff ended in a victory for the seven-term incumbent Temple, who won a comfortable 57-43 victory.

Both incumbents, First Selectman George Temple and Selectman Arnold Jensen, won against their Republican challengers. Temple was surprised that Luff was challenging him, as Luff was a protege he expected to take over once he retired. Luff was not happy that Temple, age 79, was running for an eighth term, saying he “had lost his fastball“.

Temple and Jensen both narrowly lost the party-endorsement vote, but the vote was so close (Temple lost 151-157, Jensen lost 153-155) that the race was expected to be competitive.

Donald Trump comfortably won Oxford by a 60-39 margin, meaning Temple and Jensen are heavily favored to retain their positions in November.

Plainfield

The 20-year political feud between Incumbent First Selectman Kevin Cunningham and former First Selectman Paul Sweet ended in a narrow victory for Cunningham, who emerged victorious by fifteen votes.

Cunningham and Sweet have had a feud going on for so long that both were former Democratic First Selectmen many years ago before finding themselves as Republicans facing off in a September primary. Cunningham had lost to Sweet twice, both in 2007 and 2009, in the general election, but he finally won a race against Sweet in 2025.

However, Incumbent Arthur Gagne has narrowly lost to the party-endorsed Michael Suprenant by 28 votes. It might be a bit awkward in Plainfield as one incumbent and one challenger will be in office together.

Plainfield is another town where Trump did well, winning 61-38 in 2024. So Cunningham and Suprenant are heavily favored in November.

Wolcott

Party-endorsed James Paolino did not think that Paul D’Angelo should represent Republicans on the ballot this year. His goal was to block D’Angelo from winning the nomination. D’Angelo was arrested last year for a domestic dispute and was being sued by Wells Fargo.

Republican voters, however, disagreed with Paolino as D’Angelo narrowly bested him by 21 votes in a 52-48 victory.

Paolino said he would not seriously challenge the incumbent mayor. D’Angelo wanted to offer voters a serious conversation on the town and give a serious challenge to Incumbent Mayor Thomas Dunn, who has been unopposed in the last four elections.

Dunn has never had a difficult contest and is highly favored in November. We’ll see if local Republicans support D’Angelo after this acriminous primary.

Rest of the Races

There were many other races across the state. Results for every primary in the state can be found here.

Some other interesting results were Incumbent Town Clerk Bob Siegrist losing to party-endorsed Sarah Pytlik 45-55.

In New Britain, Incumbent Alderperson Neil Connors lost to party-endorsed incumbent John McNamara and former Alderperson Luz Ortiz-Luna.

In Stamford, all party-endorsed candidates won their primaries for the Board of Representatives, all by pretty large margins. This meant multiple incumbents who did not receive the party endorsement have been ousted from office. This includes Bonnie Kim Campbell (District 5), Denis Paterson (District 6), and Anabel Figeroa (District 8)

In New Haven, Elias Theodore won comfortably over Norah Laughter for the Board of Alder Ward 1. A ward seat that encompasses a good portion of Yale University. Theodore won comfortably 63-36. Party-endorsed incumbent Angel Hubbard won 58-42 in Ward 3 against Miguel Pittman, who she will have to face again in November. Party-endorsed Leland Moore won a landslide 84-16 vote against Zelema Harris in Ward 18.

It was an interesting night all around, with some upsets and party-endorsed candidates coming out victorious.

There will likely be a recount in Hamden in Councilman District 9, so we will see what happens in that race and if there are any other developments overall. Other than that, it’s off to the general election, where we will have a lot of competitive races.

Thanks for Reading!