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!

A Hartford resident votes at a polling spot in the Pope Park Recreational Center in the 2023 municipal primary. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

Table of Contents

Overview

*Updated 8/29 – 18 of 21 Primaries Completed

Welcome to CT Election Guide’s September 9 Ultimate Primary Election Guide.

On September 9th, some towns in Connecticut will have Democratic and Republican primaries for local municipal offices ranging from mayor to board offices.

Some races I have covered in separate articles. This is a guide of who is running and what I expect from each race.

Overall, 11 towns will have a Democratic primary. 10 towns will have a Republican primary.

No town has both a Democratic and a Republican primary.

Per state rules, Connecticut is a closed primary state. This means only registered voters of that party can vote in a primary election. In Connecticut, a plurality of voters are registered unaffiliated (about 42% as of 2024); that proportion of state voters will be unable to vote in the election. However, unaffiliated voters have until August 29th at noon to register with a party. If a voter wants to switch parties to vote in a primary (From Democratic to Republican, or vice versa), they had to do so by June 9th.

Voting Information

New voters must complete their party registration by noon on the business day prior to when they partake in early voting or election day.

There is early voting available for primary voters. Early voting will take place from September 2nd to September 7th. The hours for early voting are listed below.

Regular Weekday: Hours 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. September 3 & 5, 2025
Extended Weekday: Hours 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. September 2 & 4, 2025
Weekend Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. September 6 & 7, 2025

On September 9th, primary day, polls will open at 6:00 am and will close at 8:00 pm. Any registered voters who are in line by 8:00 pm will be allowed to cast their vote.

Voter turnout is expected to be low for an off-year September primary, so voters are encouraged to come out and vote for a candidate, as even a few votes can change the result in some races. In 2023, out of eligible voters, just 21% turned out to vote.

Let’s start going through primaries and seeing what voters will have to vote on in each race. I will give who is running in each race, some relevant information/context if needed, discuss the candidates, and I will attempt to make a race rating (expected predictions). Some races, I have covered previously in the guide, and will refer readers to those pieces if needed.

All ballot images are from the Primary Election Town Sample Ballots found on the CT Secretary of State website here.

Race Rating Scale

Here is the scale I will use for Race ratings. They are my own personal primary predictions. Colors change based on if it’s a Democratic Primary or a Republican Primary.

Likely/Likely – Race is heavily favored towards one candidate by a large margin. I expect the candidate to win by over 10-15 points.

Lean/Lean – One candidate is favored; however, the race could be close depending on multiple factors. A race with a margin under 10 points is likely. An upset is possible.

Toss-Up – Race is unpredictable or is a potentially close race between multiple candidates. No candidate is favored; anyone can win

Disclaimer: Race ratings are just like predictions. I am by no means a political operative, and I am not on the ground in any race or affiliated with any of the candidates. Some candidates may have much more momentum than I’m aware of. It is also very unlikely that I get all these races correct in my race ratings. Primaries by nature are generally difficult to predict, and the electorates in many of these races will be quite small and will be based more on how candidates get their voters to turn up for a September primary. I’m just someone who enjoys elections and wants to make some educated guesses on what I expect for the 9th. If I’m wrong, that’s okay, and you can hold me to that.

Bloomfield Democratic Primary

I’ve covered a lot of the drama going on in Bloomfield in a previous article I wrote last month. If you want more context on this election, the article is right here.

I expected last month that the Party’s endorsed candidate would have an entire slate against them for Town Council. What I did not expect was that they’ve come up with candidates for every office on the ballot. This includes the Board of Education, Town Plan & Zoning Commission, and the Library Trustees.

The opposing town council slate includes not only Former Mayor Suzette DeBeatham Brown, but another Former Mayor Sydney Schulman. I’m not surprised by Schulman’s entry into the battle due to the very public comments made about the budget referendum. Former Councilman Rickford Kirton is also on the opposing slate. Kirton was instrumental in bringing the referendum to voters by gathering signatures.

Row B cannot be underestimated by any means, as it includes not only former mayors but former council members, and an entire new agenda for the town. It is no secret that former Mayors Schulman and Brown were not fans of Mayor Danielle Wong’s tenure, as seen by their very public infighting. Another year, another battle of the factions.

In 2023, Former Mayor DeBeatham-Brown led an opposing slate on Row B against the party-endorsed candidates.

However, they lost by a 2 to 1 margin. It’s hard to imagine that this attempt would be any different despite all the infighting over the past year. I do think the margin would be a bit closer due to the library and budget disputes, but I still expect the Row A endorsed candidates to win all offices on the ballot. It should be noted that in 2021, a mix of both endorsed and challenger candidates won the Democratic primary. However, I’m leaning more towards a 2023 result.

2023 made it clear, it’s a slate of candidates, not individuals. There isn’t much difference in the vote totals between members of each row, so I believe 2025 will be similar.

Race Rating: Likely Row A (All Offices)

Bridgeport Democratic Primary

District 137

Updated 9/4 – Challengers thrown off ballot by judge due to suspected fraudulent signatures, no race in District 137

Bridgeport has 10 council districts. There are Democratic primaries in two of them. There is no Democratic primary for the school board this year.

Council president Aidee Nieves and Incumbent Maria Valle were both endorsed by the local party committee. They face a challenge from both Ishamel Sanchez and Isaac Dickerson.

Nieves and Valle are described by the publication Only in Bridgeport as being popular with residents for years, so they are likely safe. There was controversy as the two incumbents have asserted that their challengers violated the election law to qualify for the primary.

Their complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission states that they believe Sanchez and Dickerson violated state law by submitting fraudulent and forged signature petitions. They also noted that former Democratic Town Committee members Tony Barr and Maria Hernandez were campaign operatives who circulated most of the petition sheets, not the candidates themselves. Hernandez was recently arrested on state charges for alleged absentee ballot fraud from the 2023 Bridgeport Mayoral Race.

Sanchez and Dickerson can only be off the ballot by court action, so they will likely be on the ballot for voters.

Race Rating: Likely Nieves and Valle

District 138

District 138 is a whole other story. Incumbent Maria Perera has not received the endorsement of the town committee. Along with Keyla Media, they will challenge the endorsed slate of City Councilwoman Samia Suliman and District Leader Kevin Monks.

Pereria has had a tumultuous tenure, with a long history of political “divorces”. She ran with Jazmarie Melendez in 2023. They both won the race, but after a few months, they had a falling out. Melendez later resigned from her position.

Pereria has also attracted state officials with her election win in 2023. She lost the in-person vote, but won the absentee ballot, leading to suspicion from state officials. This is not uncommon in Bridgeport, where multiple candidates on the ballot, including Incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim, faced questions about how absentee ballots played a role in their election wins and the legitimacy of those elections.

There were also questions about how Pereria’s part of the district had residents who, according to the state, were pressured to change their absentee votes. Currently, Pereria, who has self-proclaimed herself the piranha of city politics, seems stuck in her own ways. Her district has a suspicious number of absentee ballots requested, around 350. Due to this, and Pereria’s ways of conduct, she and Medina are favored in a city that continually elects Joe Ganim.

Race Rating: Lean Pereria and Medina

Chester Democratic Primary

Cynthia Lignar, the First Selectwoman of Chester, faces a Democratic primary challenge from Consultant Joe Cohen

In Chester, there will be no Republican on the ballot this year for First Selectman, so the Democratic primary is tantamount to victory.

Interestingly, Ron Amara, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Lignar in 2023, has given his support to Cohen, saying his experience, knowledge, and trust are why residents should back him. Amara points to Lignar and her selectman partner, Democrat Patricia Bandzes, for increasing taxes.

Lignar has her supporters, including from resident Caryl Horner, who writes in her op-ed, that Lignar’s great communication with the town, her accomplishments in getting numerous grants for town projects, infrastructure improvements, and her leadership are reasons to support her.

Cohen found himself in opposition against Lignar and Bandzes last year in a discussion about the town charter that led to a shouting match. Cohen was also a write-in candidate in the general election for First Selectman in 2021, receiving 14% of the vote. He also won the position of Town Treasurer as a write-in candidate that year.

Due to Lignar’s incumbency advantage, I believe she will likely defeat Cohen on September 9th.

Race Rating: Likely Lignar

Greenwich Republican Primary

In Greenwich, there is a Republican primary for positions on the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET).

The board consists of six Democrats and six Republicans. Whichever party gets the most votes in the November election will get to pick a chair and receive a tiebreaker vote. Republicans have controlled the board since 2019.

In Greenwich, the body manages over $600 million of taxpayer money and ensures proper financial management throughout the town.

Similar to Bloomfield, there are two different slates of candidates running, as voters will need to pick six of the twelve candidates on the ballot to advance to the November election. Row A has the party-endorsed candidates, Row B has the challengers.

However, unlike Bloomfield, not all candidates on each of the slates are aligned with one another.

An Op-Ed to the CT Examiner has six candidates aligned with one another. This includes three endorsed candidates, Incumbents David Alfano, Nisha Arora, and Lucia Jansen. They are joined by challengers Alessandra Brus, Phil Dodson, and John Hopley.

In this op-ed, the group explains how they are Independent Thinkers, and they are up against Entrenched Insiders. They blame BET Chair Harry Fisher, who was focused on loyalty and members with long-term tenures. In addition, they accuse Fisher of fostering a hostile work environment. They also explain how entrenched insiders have abandoned integrity and Republican values by also appointing Democrats to key committees. They also cite how the group sides with Democrats on raising taxes.

Another set of challengers, Leslie Tarkington, Joe Kelly, and Joshua Brown, filed together as a slate in their challenge. Tarkington is one of the two incumbents (Along with Karen Faussliotis) who did not receive the party endorsement.

With so many candidates and factions of candidates that are both endorsed and challengers. I expect this primary to be very unpredictable. I expect a mix of both incumbents and challengers to find seats on the board. Some will be endorsed candidates, some will not be. I doubt that the six candidates running together will all get the nomination, but we will see what happens. Due to this, I will label this primary as a toss-up.

Race Rating: Toss-Up

Griswold Republican Primary

In Griswold, there is a Republican Primary, not for the position of First Selectman, but for the position of Selectman. Usually, the partner, and a member of the Board of Selectmen, if there are among the top vote getters in the election.

In Griswold, Incumbent Selectman Martin McKinney did not receive the town endorsement to retain his position. He successfully petitioned to make the ballot against party-endorsed Richard Canova. Whoever wins will run with the Republican nominee for First Selectman.

Griswold is a toss-up town for the position of First Selectman. Democrat Tina Falck had a narrow 48-45 win over Republican Wayne Malin. However, since for the position of Selectman, both McKinney and Democrat Richard Grabowki had more votes than Malin, they won both seats as Selectman over Malin.

McKinney is the incumbent, but falling out of favor with the town committee isn’t a great sign. However, since he won the most votes of any First Selectman or Selectman candidate in 2023, I would not fully count him out. Though he is in a similar position to how former Selectwoman Dana Bennett lost the Republican endorsement in 2023, and lost 42-58 in the Republican primary to Malin.

The endorsement does seem to be important in Griswold, but with less than 350 votes in the Republican primary in 2023, it’s unpredictable. However, I would lean towards Canova due to his endorsement.

Race Rating: Lean Canova

Haddam Republican Primary

In Haddam, there is a Republican Primary for the position of Town Clerk. Similar to Griswold, the Incumbent is Bob Siegrist, who did not receive the town’s endorsement. Siegrist had a close 52-47 victory for his 4-year term in 2021.

Siegrist gathered enough signatures to face party-endorsed Sarah Pytlik. Pytlik was selected over Siegrist first at the Republican Town Committee’s Nomination Committee, and then by a Haddam Republican Caucus a few days later. Haddam’s Facebook group has an Admin who noted her dislike of Siegrst, saying he has to go for multiple reasons, which she posted as info. She mentions topics such as stalking, harassment, and DUI, but I could not find any information to substantiate her claims.

Robert Siegrst is well-known to voters of the area, as prior to his win as Town Clerk in 2021, he ran for State Representative in the 36th District. He lost in 2014, but won a tight 51-49 win in 2016. However, he lost re-election in 2018 and again in 2020.

I’m not exactly sure what is happening in this race. Siegrist doesn’t have the endorsement, but he has name ID. Without finding any substantiated information on the claims against Siegrist, I said the race still leans his way slightly.

Race Rating: Lean Siegrist

Hamden Democratic Primary

Mayoral Race

The Hamden Mayoral Race is another primary I have discussed recently. For more information on the race, I’ve listed the article I wrote here.

It is also the most crowded primary of the day, and the primary I will be paying the most attention to. A competitive five-way primary is always fun to see what happens.

Of the candidates I discussed in my previous article, Jameka Jefferies was the only one not to make the ballot, as many of her signatures were rejected. She alleges that the Democratic Registrar of Voters and mayoral candidate Lushonda Howard improperly handled her petition forms. Jefferies will be on the ballot in November as a petitioning candidate.

Due to the open race and the number of candidates running in this deep blue town. I expect turnout for the Democratic primary to be fairly high for a primary. Hamden had a high turnout during early voting last year and has historically had a high turnout overall. With so many primaries on the ballot, it should be one of the highest turnout areas in the state.

The five candidates on the ballot, Dominique Baez, Peter Cyr, Lushonda Howard, Walter Morton IV, and Adam Sendroff, are all viable candidates due to having raised a fair amount of money and making the ballot. All of their campaign platform are extensive, and they have all shown they have support in the race.

Legislative Council President Dominique Baez, I think, is slightly favored in the race due to her position in the town and receiving the party endorsement. This will allow her to get a fair amount of the vote and stand out in a crowded vote. At the moment, though, I think she will win a plurality of the vote, as I expect all five candidates to get at least 5-10% of the vote.

Walter Morton IV, I think, also has a good chance due to his name ID from his previous run two years ago, where he got 44% of the vote, which might help him into second place, primed for an upset win. I’ll be curious how Sendroff, Howard, and Cyr do, though. Cyr got 16% of the vote in a 2021 Democratic primary so he has experience running. Howard is a city official, so many of the candidates are well-known. An upset is definitely possible, but I’m leaning towards Baez at the moment, with Morton in second.

Race Rating: Lean Baez

Councilmen At Large

For the councilmen at Large positions. Delroy Crawford and Marion Regina Mullings are challenging party-endorsed candidates Maurine Crouch, Douglas Foley, Tasha Hunt, and Katie Kiely.

Hamden has had a strong recent history of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members winning seats in various town positions.

The endorsed candidates are likely to win these primaries. Kiely and Hunt both were part of the 2023 Democratic primaries, where, as the endorsed candidates, they won comfortably by nearly 800 votes over their challengers (over a 20-point margin between the endorsed and challenger candidates)

Race Rating: Likely Row A: Crouch, Foley, Hunt, and Kiely

Councilman Districts 6-9

District 6

Endorsed Candidate: Renee Hoff

Challenger: Grace Teodosio

District 7

Endorsed Candidate: Adrian Webber

Challenger: Kathleen Muolo

District 8

Endorsed Candidate: Ted Stevens

Challenger: James Baker

District 9

Endorsed Candidate: Tameeka Parks

Challenger: Barbara Walker

Endorsed candidates are also likely to win in the councilman districts. In 2023, all endorsed candidates won their primaries by at least ten points.

In District 7, Adrian Webber won by over 30 points against his challenger, so he is likely safe. District 8 is a rematch between Ted Stevens and James Baker. Stevens won 57-42.

However, since most of these primaries had around 500 voters, slight changes in turnout can change the races dramatically.

barThe strongest challenge will likely be from Grace Teodosio in the 6th district, whose detailed platform and presence online can help her in a low-turnout primary. She also faces Renee Hoff, who was appointed to the legislative council in April and, therefore, has not run in a Democratic primary.

The District 9 race can also be unpredictable, as Walker was the nominee for District 9 in 2023. However, she lost to her Republican opponent, James Anthony, 45-55. The only Democrat on the ballot to lose the election. Due to this loss, Parker is favored. But Walker still holds her name ID from her previous run.

Race Rating

District 6: Lean Hoff

District 7: Likely Webber

District 8: Likely Stevens

District 9: Lean Parks

New Britain Democratic Primary

Ward 4

In New Britain, the mayoral race will likely take a lot more attention in November. However, for the Democratic primary for Ward 4 Alderperson, Incumbent councilman Neil Connors is challenging the endorsed slate of John McNamara and Luz Ortiz-Luna.

Connors received some attention last month when his wife, Allison Cappuccio, was assaulted after being punched in the head by a woman. This was caught on security footage shortly after the meeting leaders announced that Connors would not be receiving the party’s nomination. The woman was later to be revealed as the daughter of Luz Ortiz Luna, who was a minor, however.

The incident was a reaction to the nomination of Luz Oritz-Luna, who was a Republican turned Democrat. Cappuccio told the CT Examiner that Committee Democrats urged Connors, who is an attorney, to be quiet after being passed for nomination. In return, they promised him legal work.

Later, Ortiz Luna said she was unapologetic about the assault. This was because she accused Alderman Connors’ wife of harassing her and her kids during the entire meeting. She said the harassment was due to Connors not getting the endorsement.

The Republican Committee then blasted Democratic State Leaders Senator Richard Blumenthal and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz for participating in the New Britain Democratic Campaign Kickoff following the incident on Cappuccio. They said that they should not be involved with the campaign at all since Cappuccio has a chronic illness, and their decision to campaign with anyone associated with the incident is hypocritical, since they did not talk about it at the event. Not like this criticism makes sense, but this shows how high the tension is amongst both parties in New Britain.

Race Rating

Voters might believe either side of the story. In addition, since the incident didn’t involve either candidate directly, it’s harder to assess the impact of the situation and how much voters will care about it.

I’m not exactly sure how this primary will go. It’s not guaranteed that Democratic primary voters (who tend to be the most partisan) will vote for a Republican turned Democrat, especially one who was recently a Republican. However, it should be noted that Ortiz-Luna was a Republican At-Large member who broke with Erin Stewart’s administration on some issues and was eventually excluded from Stewart’s slate 2 years ago. This impressed many Democrats, as she stood up. Connors, on the other hand, was considered by many local legislators to be unreliable on key Democratic values.

I think McNamara wins handily. He was made a leader of the new majority Democratic caucus on the council as a first-year member. I think voters will be more split between Ortiz-Luna and Connors, but I think Ortiz-Luna will hold on against him narrowly at the end of the day.

Race Rating: Likely McNamara/Lean Ortiz-Luna

New Haven Democratic Primary

Unlike in 2023, there is no Democratic primary for Mayor this time around. Mayor Justin Elicker was unopposed for the nomination. There are a few races for Alderperson of different wards, however.

Ward 1

Ward 1 has an interesting situation going on. None of the candidates received the party endorsement. So no candidate appears on Row A on the Ward 1 ballot. There was no incumbent in this district, as one-term incumbent Democratic Kiana Flores was not seeking reelection.

Since the local Democratic party decided not to endorse anyone, all candidates had to collect at least 43 signatures. The committee did include Norah Laughter and Flores. The Democratic Committee hadn’t met for many years, but was revived last year. Laughter and Flores felt it was fair for everyone to get signatures, as so many people were running. They felt the voters should decide, not the committee, which included themselves.

The district notably covers part of downtown and some of Yale University’s campus. So the election is made up of mainly Yale Students. Ward 1 fully encompasses eight of Yale’s fourteen residential colleges.

There are three candidates for the position. Laughter, Elias Theodore, and Rhea McTieman Huge, all students of the university.

With such a small voting bloc, it’s likely a toss-up, as the three candidates also have to contend with some of the voting deadlines that coincide with freshman students moving into dorms. Laughter has the most experience on the committee, but Theodore has raised a surprising $2650 from supporters.

Race Rating: Toss-Up

Ward 3

Miguel Pittman is challenging Incumbent member Angel Hubbard, who narrowly bested him in the September 2024 special election last year. Hubbard received 162 votes in that race, and Pittman had 146 votes. Hubbard had the endorsement of New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

No matter the result, Pittman will be on the ballot in November as he secured both the Independent ballot line and the Republican ballot line. Though in such a Democratic city, his best shot is in the Democratic primary.

Hubbard is Ward 3’s Democratic Ward Committee Co-Chair and a home healthcare provider. Pittman co-runs Sandra’s Next Generation restaurant.

Since Hubbard won the first time, and now has the benefit of incumbency. I believe the race favors her over Pittman.

Race Rating: Likely Hubbard

Ward 18

In Ward 18, Zelma Harris is challenging the endorsed candidate, Leland Moore.

Harris gathered just over the 68 signatures she needed to make the primary ballot. She almost forgot to put her own signature on her petition, but she narrowly put it just in time for it to count.

Harris is also an accountant who hopes to bring her mathematical skills to the board. Ward 18 consists of the neighborhood of Morris Cove. This neighborhood has both the highest home ownership rate in the city and is the ward where Republicans tend to have the most support (Trump got 41% of the vote here). The ward also contains a lot of coastal parkland, a coast guard station, parts of the airport, wastewater treatment facility, so it has a lot of different infrastructure in it.

Leland Moore, an Assistant Attorney General, says he is interested in being more involved in his neighborhood. He envisions advocating for his neighbors’ quality of life concerns due to the airport and traffic congestion.

I think Moore is favored here, but Harris can definitely give him a good challenge.

Race Rating: Likely Moore

Note: Some articles note a primary in Ward 16, but the Secretary of State website did not include it on the sample ballot.

New London Democratic Primary

In New London, unlike other Democratic primaries, only two candidates have challenged the endorsed slates of candidates.

Incumbent City Councilor Jefferey Hart is challenging the seven endorsed Row A candidates on the City Council. Incumbent Board of Education President Elaine Maynard-Adams is challenging the seven endorsed Row A candidates on the Board of Education.

As with many towns with primaries on the 9th, these two incumbents failed to receive the party endorsement after what was reported as a “rowdy” Democratic convention.

Candidates need 5% of the city’s registered and active Democratic voters to sign a petition to force a primary; 341 signatures total. Both successfully completed this task and were confident in their prospects in doing so.

As New London’s The Day reports, both Hart and Maynard-Adams are sharp critics of Democratic Mayor Michael Passero. This led to being left off the endorsement list.

Maynard-Adams tied with newcomer Nanci DeRobbio is the first vote for endorsements, but DeRobbio edged Maynard-Adams 25-24 in a subsequent vote. Hart, likely knowing he would not win a nomination, declined to be nominated, telling delegates he would prefer to force a primary election.

Though incumbents being left off endorsement lists isn’t uncommon (as evidenced by multiple primaries), a Board of Education president being left off the endorsed slate is surprising. Maynard Adams has been a board member for 18 years, eight as president.

Hart and Maynard-Adams have criticized Mayor Passero for his recommendation to flat-fund the school district budget for the upcoming year. Mayor Passero, for his part, is not up for re-election until 2027. Hart, in particular, has criticized Passero on school funding and the creation of a tax-rate stabilization account.

Race Rating

The top seven candidates (out of eight) will move on to the general election. Democratic candidates in New London (Which voted for Kamala Harris 71-26) are heavily favored, and all seven Democratic candidates (on both the city council and the board of education) will likely be elected to the city council.

These types of Democratic primaries are unique as unlike slates of candidates competing against one another, both Hart and Mayard-Adams have to convince Democratic primary voters to leave off one candidate on the endorsed slate, since voters can pick seven of the eight candidates running for each position.

Since their ire is against the Incumbent Mayor, and not any particular board member, it is more difficult for voters to differentiate between candidates and pick one to not include. This is unless a strategy hinges on voters only voting for one of the challengers, which is unlikely without a full slate of challengers.

However, since Maynard-Adams is a long-term incumbent, I give her a better chance than Hart (who has the CT DSA endorsement) to survive a Democratic primary. Hart also received the second-lowest amount of votes of any other Democrat on the City Council in 2023, which isn’t a great sign for him.

Maynard-Adams performed similarly to other candidates on the Board of Education that year. However, I would say the Row A endorsed candidates are favored in both of these primaries.

Race Rating (City Council) – Likely Row A (Party Endorsed Candidates)

Race Rating (Board of Education) – Lean Row A (Party Endorsed Candidates)

North Haven Democratic Primary

There is no competition in November for the position of First Selectman in North Haven. Incumbent Republican Michael Freda is running unopposed for another term.

How selectman boards work in North Haven (and in most towns) is that Democrats and Republicans run someone for both First Selectman and Selectman. However, three members form the selectboard. Whoever wins, the position of First Selectman is self-explanatory. The two positions of Selectman are slightly more complicated. The loser of the position of First Selectman can be a member of the selectboard if he received more votes than his party’s selectman candidate.

However, in North Haven, since no Democrat is running for First Selectman, all three members on the ballot for First Selectman and Selectman will win in November, so whoever wins the Democratic primary will be on the selectboard come November. Although Kamala Harris lost North Haven 45-53, Democrats are not putting up a candidate, despite it likely being a bluer year. This is likely because in the 2023 Local Elections, the Republican selectman candidate got over 64% of the vote, so Democrats don’t think they can compete for the position and would rather settle who wins the Select Board position in a Democratic primary.

Democrat David Cohen won a unanimous endorsement from the local party over longtime Selectwoman Sally Buemi.

Cohen is a North Haven volunteer firefighter, a local small business owner, and an in-house counsel for a CT-based Fortune 500 manufacturing company

Buemi, a 12-year incumbent, told the local party that she would primary the endorsed Democratic candidate, saying, “I am confident that I’m the most qualified candidate.”

Race Rating

Buemi faced a controversy in June dubbed “popsicle-gate” by locals. Some were unhappy that Buemi and Democratic Board of Finance member Nancy Barrett didn’t like the effort of the PTA selling free Popsicles to all residents during a recent budget referendum vote by town voters. The referendum passed by a 2-to-1 margin.

Buemi said the optics were poor, and she saw it as a commercialization of voters’ votes. Buemi, though, told a reporter that she was likely not to receive the town party’s endorsement in July, so it’s unlikely that this prompted the local party not to endorse her. A falling out likely happened before this.

Buemi was against the town referendum so which could have contributed to her not getting the town endorsement. Cohen was an outspoken supporter of the referendum, which provided funding for public schools, police and fire departments, and other town services and programs.

This primary feels like an instance where local Democrats want a change, a common sentiment among Democrats post the 2024 Presidential Election. Cohen told the local Democratic town committee after he won their endorsement, “Our party and our town are ready to move in a new direction…”

Cohen is likely favored, though Buemi’s long tenure should give her a fighting chance; she has frequently underperformed the partisan lean of the town.

Race Rating: Likely Cohen

Norwalk Democratic Primary

Along with Hamden, this is one of the primaries I will be paying most attention to on the 9th.

Longtime Incumbent Mayor Harry Rilling is retiring after 12 years as Mayor. Two Democrats are looking to succeed him. A Democrat is favored in a town that Kamala Harris won comfortably, 64-35. Though the 2023 Mayoral Race was much closer at a 55-45 win for Rilling, a Democrat is still heavily favored to lead the sixth most populous city in the state.

The primary election is between Common Council President Barbara Smyth and Common Council Member Darlene Young. Smyth won the endorsement of the town committee.

For additional information on Norwalk Politics, I highly recommend the publication Nancy on Norwalk for local coverage, but I’ll summarize some stuff here.

Common Council Member Darlene Young forced a primary against Smyth by gathering far over the required 1,033 signatures, with nearly 1300 sent to Norwalk’s Democratic Registrar of Voters.

Unlike some other primaries around the state, though an intense race, the local Democratic committee had no ill will towards Young. Chair of DTC Colin Hosten congratulated Darlene for meeting the signature requirement for the primary and said it’ll allow residents to hear from both sides. He also stressed party unity for the general election hoping not to have intra-party fights that can affect results.

It should also be noted that the DTC endorsement was very close between Young and Smyth. Young narrowly lost 25 votes to 29 votes. A close result that likely signals a close race.

Multiple committee members remarked that both women have the strength, dedication, and leadership needed to be mayor. Smyth is a retired teacher and four-term council member. Young is a seasoned city employee and incumbent council member.

This is a rare occasion in Norwalk; the city hasn’t had a primary in over a decade for local offices, so we don’t have much of a baseline to go off.

I would say this race is a toss-up despite Smyth’s endorsement. I don’t think she is favored that much, and Young could easily win. Both women have bases of support and elected experience, so I think residents would be similarly split between the two candidates.

There will be a debate on September 4th at Norwalk Public Library’s Main Branch from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Race Rating: Toss-Up

Oxford Republican Primary

Oxford, one of the redder towns in the state, has a primary election for the position of First Selectman and Selectman.

Incumbent First Selectman George Temple and Incumbent Selectman Arnold Jensen are challenging party-endorsed candidates Jeffrey Luff and Rob Boroski.

Longtime Incumbent George Temple expected to leave office on his own terms. Though at age 79, Temple was ready to run for an 8th term as First Selectman.

Temple found himself surprised that his challenger was his longtime protege Jeffrey Luff. Someone that Temple said was someone he saw as his successor. Luff, Oxford’s economic development director, discussed the importance of new energy and said that Luff “had lost his fastball”. Temple says the town continues to thrive.

Luff has served on various boards in town since 2006, though he announced his run earlier in February because he needed to gain some name ID. Temple feels strong about his accomplishments as First Selectman, including significant growth and development, says he’s still running again.

Temple also said that Luff’s selectman partner, Robert Baronowski, a local police officer, would need to “recuse himself” from a lot of town matters on police budgets and contracts, which is not helpful.

The Republican Party Endorsement in July was razor-thin. Luff won the endorsement by 6 votes, 157-151. This represents the close tension, not only between the longtime incumbent and his protege, but Republican primary voters. The race was even closer for Selectmen, where Luff’s running mate Borowski won an even narrower 155-153 victory over Temple’s running mate Arnie Jensen.

In a town that Trump won comfortably 60-39, the Republican primary will essentially determine who the First Selectman and Selectman of Oxford are.

I expect a razor-thin race here as Temple still seems to be popular, but some Republican voters want a change. I am leaning towards Temple retaining his job due to his long-time incumbency. Huff will give him the strongest challenge of his political career.

Due to the expected close nature of this race, I’m adding a toss-up as well to indicate it will be closer than other races I marked as Lean, but still used Lean to indicate who I think would come out victorious.

Race Rating: Lean Temple/Toss-Up

Plainfield Republican Primary

Similar to Oxford, Plainfield also has a Republican primary for the position of First Selectman and Selectman. Again, it’s a case of incumbents without the Republican endorsement against party-endorsed candidates.

Incumbent First Selectman Kevin Cunningham and Incumbent Selectman Arthur Gagne are challenging the endorsed party candidates, Paul Sweet and Michael Surprenant.

The big difference between Oxford and Plainfield is, as the publication The Day puts it, the continuing saga of a nearly 20-year-long political feud between Kevin Cunningham and Paul Sweet.

Paul Sweet, the former Democratic First Selectman of Plainfield, is making a comeback as a Republican. Sweet was the First Selectman from 1989 to 2001, and from 2007 to 2017. Sweet is now attempting his third non-consecutive tenure as First Selectman. He became a Republican in the spring, noting how the Democratic party “left” him long ago.

The surprising thing is, he isn’t the only former Democrat in this race. Lo and behold, the 2005 winner of First Selectman was Democrat Kevin Cunningham. You read that correctly, both Cunningham and Sweet are former Democratic First Selectmen and are now both Republicans, running against each other. I don’t know many examples in the state (or the country, for that matter) where this scenario has happened, but here we are.

Selectman Cunningham won in 2005 as a Democrat with only 42% of the vote, after the vote was split between a write-in Candidate and a Republican. In 2007, Cunningham ran for re-election on both the Democratic and Republican lines. However, he lost to Sweet, who ran as a petitioning candidate 47-53. Cunningham attempted a rematch against Sweet in 2009 as a petitioning candidate, though he lost in a landslide 19-81. A decade later, in 2019, Cunningham finally made his comeback, ousting Incumbent Selectwoman Democrat Cathy Tendrich in a narrow 48-44 victory. Cunningham has won comfortably ever since.

Race Rating

Sweet says he’s pulling out of retirement because he’s concerned the town is “compromising the integrity of the fund balance“. He also cites his dislike of Cunningham, saying he’s driving the town into the ground and people don’t see it.

Sweet didn’t run for re-election in 2017, saying he had a disillusionment with state and federal tape. He also noted the difficulty of the job. Clearly, the recent budget referendums have made him want to be back in the seat.

Recently, in a budget referendum, the Board of Finance and voters pulled $1.2 million from this balance to offset a tax rate increase. The largest appropriation in town history. Cunningham supported this, saying the new tax revenue from Uline and Amazon will supplant the need for this action again. The budget, however, took 4 tries by voters to pass in the end. All 3 amendments failed the first two times, and one failed the third time.

Cunningham got the 146 signatures needed to force a Republication primary.

Now I’m conflicted in this race. Sweet currently has the momentum in this race by garnering the town endorsement. He has also won a general election without a ballot line. However, he will need to win Republican voters as a former Democrat. I’m curious how he contends with that. Cunningham is a long-term incumbent who has already proven himself with Republican primary voters. But losing the primary endorsement isn’t an amazing sign for an incumbent. Honestly, it’s anyone’s race

Race Rating: Toss-Up

Stamford Democratic Primary

Note: The Secretary of State’s website oddly only lists the primary in the 8th District for the Board of Representatives. However, there are Democratic primaries confirmed in six districts.

Last week, I discussed a lot of context about the infighting between Stamford Democrats. The two factions have had many disagreements over many issues in the town, ranging from the town charter to the Democratic Town Committee position. More context for this race can be found in my article listed here.

In the article, I discussed a lot of context, but didn’t discuss the candidates too much, so I will do that here.

District 5

Incumbent Bonnie Kim Campbell will challenge party-endorsed candidates Nicole Beckham and Kierra Dorsey.

Campbell is a two-term incumbent who has served on the Land Use and Urban Redevelopment Committee, as well as committees on public safety, housing, and social services.

Beckham is a founder of the NorMel Foundation. She also has more than 30 years of experience in the human services field. Dorsey has worked for the Connecticut judicial branch for over 15 years. This information was found on the Stamford Endorsed Dems Website.

Campbell won a primary in this district in 2021, but she had the party endorsement at the time. Also, if she wins, she would have to beat one of the two endorsed Democrats, and neither has an edge over the other. At the moment, I would say these lean towards the party-endorsed candidates, but I would not be surprised by a win by Campbell.

Race Rating: Lean Beckham and Dorsey

District 6

Incumbent Denis Paterson and longtime former member of the Board Lindsey Miller will challenge party-endorsed candidates Ryan Hughes and Parker Johnson.

Paterson joined the board in 2015. He is a member of the Steering Committee and Personnel Committee. He is the owner of Diversified Ventures. Miller was a former member of the board in the 7th District. He was a member for over a decade; however, he resigned last year after moving into the 6th district. Miller is a retired IBM Financial Executive.

According to the 2025 Endorsed Democrats Stamford Website. Hughes was a policy analyst in the State Senate. He is also a member of CT’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Team. Johnson works in the renewable energy industry.

If there is any race in Stamford, I think the challengers can prevail over the endorsed candidates; I think it’s this one. As a longtime member, Paterson should have the name ID to hold his spot, and Miller’s long tenure on the board should also give him a leg up against the challengers. The party endorsement in Connecticut, though, is very valuable, however, so I expect this race to be very close. I will give the edge to Paterson and Miller, though.

Race Rating: Lean Paterson and Miller

District 8

Incumbent Anabel Figueroa is challenging the party-endorsed candidates in District 8. President of the Board Nina Sherwood and Theo Gross.

Sherwood was recently elected President by the Board of Representatives after former President of the Board Jeff Curtis died in July. Sherwood has been on the board since 2017. Sherwood has been seen as a consistent check against Mayor Caroline Simmons.

Gross is experienced in local campaigns and a statewide scheduler for Senator Richard Blumenthal (D).

Figeruoa has been on the board for over 20 years, winning a seat in District 8 in 2001. However, controversial comments that received national attention last year resulted in her having a brutal loss in the Democratic Primary against her opponent for her state House seat in the 148th district. I covered this in greater detail in this article.

Due to these comments and the fact that Democratic Primary voters already voted Figueroa out of office within the last year. She might have a loyal base, but I don’t think it would be enough for a victory on the 9th.

Race Rating: Likely Sherwood and Gross

District 10

Brittany Lawrence is challenging party-endorsed candidates Felix Gardner and Stephanie Sylvestre in a primary.

According to the Endorsed Democrats Website, Gardner is a software engineer. Sylvestre is an educator and social worker.

Lawrence, a resident of the BLVD apartment complex, was an outspoken opponent of turning the building into student housing.

There is no incumbent in this district, so no one has an advantage other than the party endorsement. Due to this, Gardner and Sylvestre are favored. But the lack of an incumbent could mean Lawrence could pull out a victory.

Race Rating: Lean Gardner and Sylvestre

District 13

Dave Adams is challenging party-endorsed candidates and incumbents Eric Morson and Amiel Goldberg.

Morson was elected to the board in 2017. Goldberg was elected in 2021. Morson, the vice chair of the Board’s safety and health committee. Goldberg is a member of a committee that deals with housing, community development, and social services.

According to the 2025 Endorsed Democrats Website, Goldberg has more than 35 years of experience in financial risk management. Morson has more than 30 years of experience as a financial advisor and has been a tax partner for over 20 years.

Adams is known to frequently attend meetings of the Board of Representatives and the city’s land use boards.

Due to their incumbency, I expect Morson and Goldberg to comfortably win this race.

Race Rating: Likely Morson and Goldberg

District 17

Incumbent Sean Boeger and Rosa Colon will challenge Party-endorsed candidates Lewis Finkel and Incumbent Bobby Pavia.

Pavia was first elected in 2021 and is the vice chair of the personnel committee. According to the 2025 Endorsed Democrats Website, Finkel is a retired CCSU adjunct professor of Construction Estimation.

Redistricting moved Boeger into the 17th district. Boeger was also elected in 2021 and is a Stamford Police Sergeant. He is co-chair of the fiscal committee. Colon is a 21-year-old veterinary student.

Boeger and Colon lost a recent election in 2024 to be members of the DCC in District 17. A race with a similar turnout to a primary, only a year ago. Because of this recent loss, I think Pavia and Finkel are favored.

Race Rating: Lean Pavia and Finkel

Stratford Democratic Primary

Mayor

For the mayoral race, Linda Manos is challenging party-endorsed candidate David Chess in the Democratic primary. The winner will have an uphill battle against Republican incumbent Laura Hoydick.

Despite Kamala Harris winning Stratford by a comfortable 59-40 margin. Republican mayor Laura Hoydick won a landslide 63-37 victory in 2021. She is running for a third 4-year term.

Hoydick was a former State Representative in the 120th district, before she won her first term in 2017 in a closer 50-44 win.

David Chess, a doctor and businessman, overwhelmingly won the support of the Stratford Democratic Town Committee, winning a vote of 53-7 over Manos. Manos, the former owner of Pepin’s restaurant and vice-chair of the town’s zoning commission, successfully gathered 650 signatures for the primary.

Despite her struggles with the Democratic Town Committee, Manos said she submitted over 1,000 signatures, indicating she clearly has support in the primary. Manos said it is important for voters to decide, and not appointed officials on the committee.

Chess and Manos are running on similar platforms. Chess’ website discusses expanding the economic base of the town and how to raise revenue to lower taxes. He also discusses investments in education and infrastructure.

Manos similarly discusses the issue of the tax burden on residents and hopes to attract business to reinvigorate the town’s economy. She hopes to use her 30+ years of business experience to facilitate this plan. Her plan includes a 10-point plan to revitalize Stratford.

For the Democrats complaining about the age of politicians this year. This is probably not the primary for you. CTInsider lists Chess as 72 and Manos as 77.

This race will likely be close. Two experienced people in their careers, Manos a long business career, and Chess, a longtime physician and founder of PriMed. Manos has a bit more political experience due to her vice-chair on the town’s zoning commission. However, I believe that Chess’s institutional support from the Town’s Democratic Town Committee would bring him over the top and give him the opportunity to face Hoydick in November.

Race Rating: Lean Chess

Town Council

District 3 and District 4

Stratford’s Town Council operates as individual districts, not at-large, like many other towns in the state. There are ten members on the legislative body. Some might recognize District 5’s Anthony Afryie, who ran in a special election in the 21st State Senate district earlier this year. There are two primaries, one in District 3, another in District 4.

In District 3, Incumbent Town Councilor Alvin O’Neal is challenging party-endorsed candidate William Boyd, a town constable member. The reported reason, according to the CT Post, is that members of the town committee are frustrated at O’Neal occasionally siding with Republicans on town council votes. So the committee threw their support to Boyd over O’Neal. O’Neal had the party endorsement in the 2023 primary, winning 63-37. However, with only 200 votes, the endorsement can flip the result against him this time around.

In District 4, Incumbent councilor Rene Gibson has received the party endorsement of the local town committee. However, he faces a challenge from former town councilor David Harden.

David Harden, a three-term member of the council, attempted to win his seat back in 2023 after a two-year absence from the council. Interestingly, Stratford Town Council Members only have a three-term limit; however, after a two-year break (one term), they can run again.

Harden is known to not have a great relationship with the local party. He failed to submit enough signatures to qualify in 2023, but he successfully did so this time.

O’Neal had the party endorsement in the 2023 primary, winning 63-37.

However, with only 200 votes, the endorsement can flip the result against him this time around. This is honestly what I expect, and I believe Boyd will win this election. In these types of elections, with fewer than 200-300 voters. It’s about turning out your supporters. Due to such low turnout, it’s unpredictable, but in this type of election, I usually lean towards the endorsed candidates.

Race Rating

Council District 3: Likely Boyd

Council District 4: Likely Gibson

Waterbury Republican Primary

A few weeks ago, I talked about with no mayoral race on the ballot this year, there is a lot of attention focused on the Board of Aldermen races.

There were challenges against both the Democratic and Republican candidates. However, surprisingly, all the Democratic challengers failed to gather enough signatures to force a primary. But all Republican challengers did gather enough signatures to force a primary.

Endorsed Candidates Have an * Next to Their Name. Incumbents have an (I) next to their name.

For more details on the context behind the primary. I will link the article I wrote here.

District 1
Michael Grosso*
Jameson Stock*
Mary Grace Cavallo (I)
Amanda Nardozzi

District 2
Andrew Clisham*
Ruben Rodriguez* (I)
Crystal Gordon-Diaz
Bryan McEntee
Joshua Brenner

District 3
John “Jack” Alseph* (I)
Adrian Sanchez*
Efrain Torres III

District 4
Abigail Diaz*
Kelly Zimmermann* (I)
Andre Michaud Jr

District 5
Allen Leon*
Reynaldo Melendez*
Paul Kondash
George Noujaim (I)

Race Rating

Waterbury GOP Chair Dawn Maiorano is hopeful that Republicans can whittle down Democratic majorities in November, as many incumbents are not running for re-election. Democrats have a maximum ten of the fifteen total seats on the board currently.

Two incumbents, both Cavallo and Noujaim, did not receive the town endorsement. GOP leaders felt they were too close and cooperative with the Democratic majority.

Cavallo, however, has won without the town endorsement before. In the 2023 Republican primary, she won a seat, beating one of the two party-endorsed candidates, Republican Gary Hychko.

Though again, it is a low turnout race, I believe she could likely do so again. The problem is I’m not exactly sure which of the two candidates she could beat out, or if she could take her partner on the same slate as her over the line (the top two candidates move on in all five primaries).

Because of this, I’m listing District 1 as Lean Cavallo/Toss-Up (2nd Seat). In Districts 2-4, I believe the endorsed candidates will win easily. In District 5, it’s possible Noujaim has a chance, but I’m leaning towards the endorsed candidates. However, since all these primaries are low turnout, I’m expecting at least one of my predictions to be incorrect, and an upset to occur. Which one, I’m not sure, we will have to wait and see.

Race Rating

District 1: Lean Cavallo/Toss-Up (2nd Seat)
District 2-4: Likely Row A (Party-Endorsed Candidates)
District 5: Lean Row A (Party-Endorsed Candidates)

Wolcott Republican Primary

Wolcott has a unique Republican primary happening on September 9th.

11-term incumbent mayor Thomas Dunn is not on the ballot. This is not a surprise, as Dunn typically runs as an unaffiliated petitioning candidate in November.

However, his 4-term streak of unopposed elections will come to an end. He will face someone on the Republican ballot; however, they both have very different objectives in their candidacies.

Government Affairs Consultant James Paolino is seeking to block Sales Manager Paul D’Angelo from obtaining the Republican line on the November ballot.

Both Paolino and D’Angelo are not newcomers to Wolcott Politics. D’Angelo is a former member of the Town Council and Board of Education, and Paolino is a longtime member of the Republican Town Committee and the Water and Sewer Commission.

Paolino says he will not campaign if he wins the Republican Party nomination. Holding the Republican Town Committee endorsement, his sole goal is to ensure that D’Angelo does not receive the nomination and campaign against Mayor Dunn.

D’Angelo argues that there must be a candidate for mayor, and it would allow a serious conversation about the town. Essentially, D’Angelo wants to offer voters an alternative to the longtime incumbent mayor. He also notes that the town hasn’t nominated a Republican since 2001. D’Angelo is already on the ballot in November as a petitioning candidate, gathering the necessary 200 signatures needed to do so.

However, Paolino and local Republicans on the Town Committee see the situation differently. Paolino has long been a placeholder on the ballot, as no one has come forward to run as a candidate. He says that they don’t want D’Angelo representing Republicans due to an arrest he had last year stemming from a domestic dispute. In addition, he was sued by Wells Fargo for not making monthly payments. Paolino also says D’Angelo has changed his Republican affiliation multiple times.

D’Angelo argues back that there was no violence in the reported incident. He expected the charge of 3rd degree assault, for which he apologized on social media, to be dismissed. He also said he was a Republican before, but became an unaffiliated candidate when he won his town council seat in 2021.

An Op-Ed by UConn Professor Drew McWenney, published by CTInsider, accuses Paolino of saying anything to win the primary, and says his cheap smear tactics won’t work.

I think D’Angelo is trying to force a conversation on the incumbent mayor will work on Republican primary voters who haven’t had a choice in years on the ballot. Though Dunn is heavily favored in November, and despite the accusations, a campaign to block someone else, I’m not sure would work for Republican primary voters.

Race Ratings: Lean D’Angelo

Overall Race Ratings

Race	Race Rating
Bloomfield Democratic Primary All Offices	Likely Row A (Party-Endorsed Candidates)
Bridgeport Democratic Primary Council Race District 137 Council Race District 138	Likely Nieves and Valle Lean Pereria and Medina
Chester Democratic Primary First Selectman	Likely Lignar
Greenwich Republican Primary Board of Estimates and Taxation	Toss-Up
Griswold Republican Primary Selectman	Lean Canova
Haddam Republican Primary Town Clerk	Lean Siegrist
Hamden Democratic Primary Mayor Councilman At Large Seats Councilman District 6 Councilman District 7 Councilman District 8 Councilman District 9	Lean Baez Likely Row A: Crouch, Foley, Hunt, and Kiely District 6: Lean Hoff District 7: Likely Webber District 8: Likely Stevens District 9: Lean Parks
New Britain Democratic Primary Ward 4 Alderperson	Likely McNamara/Lean Ortiz-Luna
New Haven Democratic Primary Ward 1 Alderperson Ward 3 Alderperson Ward 18 Alderperson	Toss-Up Likely Hubbard Likely Moore

New London Democratic Primary City Council Board of Education	Likely Row A (Party-Endorsed Candidates) Lean Row A (Party-Endorsed Candidates)
North Haven Democratic Primary Selectmen	Likely Cohen
Norwalk Democratic Primary Mayor	Toss-Up
Oxford Republican Primary First Selectmen Selectmen	Lean Temple/Toss-Up Lean Jensen/Toss-Up
Plainfield Republican Primary First Selectmen Selectman	Toss-Up Toss-Up
Stamford Democratic Primary Board of Representatives District 5 District 6 District 7 District 10 District 13 District 17	Lean Beckham and Dorsey Lean Paterson and Miller Likely Sherwood and Gross Lean Gardner and Sylvrestre Likely Morson and Goldberg Lean Pavia and Finkel

Stratford Democratic Primary Mayor Town Council District 3 Town Council District 4	Lean Chess Likely Boyd Likely Gibson
Waterbury Republican Primary Board of Aldermen District 1 Board of Aldermen District 2-4 Board of Aldermen District 5	Lean Cavallo/Toss-Up (2nd Seat) Likely Row A (Party-Endorsed Candidates) Lean Row A (Party-Endorsed Candidates)
Wolcott Republican Primary Mayor	Lean D’Angelo

Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons. Source: City of Stamford Website

Overview

We’ve talked a lot about Democratic primaries over the last couple of weeks. But there is another one we have to discuss in Stamford.

Stamford has had an active couple of Democratic primary cycles between a faction led by Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons and an opposing faction. The two factions have had a number of disagreements around a variety of issues over the past few years.

Issues included amendments to the City Charter, conduct of town endorsements, and general consensus with the Mayor or opposition.

Mayor Caroline Simmons is running for a second term. She will face the Republican-endorsed candidate Nicola Tarzia in November. Simmons did not get a primary challenge from former Stamford police sergeant Michael Loughran. Loughran told reporters, after the town committee endorsed Simmons, that he’ll gather signatures to force a primary. However, Loughran did not gather enough signatures to force a primary for the mayoral race.

However, there will be a Democratic primary on September 9th for the Stamford Board of Representatives in five districts. Some districts have an incumbent who did not receive the town endorsement and are challenging the endorsed slate.

Stamford Mayor

Caroline Simmons has been a rising star in the Connecticut Democratic Party. The former state representative won a tough 2021 race against Independent Bobby Valentine. Valentine received the support of the Republican Party and benefited from outside spending to aid him in his race. Simmons won the race 53-47 and became the first woman to win the Stamford mayoral race.

Before her mayoral tenure, she was the State Representative for the 144th District.

Simmons outlined her 2nd term priorities, which included rebuilding Westhill High School and Roxbury Elementary. She also talked about increasing investment in major infrastructure projects and the city’s parks.

Simmons has received criticism about some issues, such as a failed affordable housing proposal, zoning laws, and her opinion on the local charter revision process. However, she remains generally popular.

Charter Debate

One of the biggest recent debates in Stamford was about the city’s charter. According to city law, every ten years, the charter (which defines the functions, powers, and organizations of the city), needs to be approved by the voters.

Democrats in the city quickly split into two factions. One was led by Mayor Simmons, who told city voters to vote “no” on proposed changes set by the City’s charter revision committee and the Board of Representatives. The other faction, led by the aforementioned Board wanted city voters to vote “yes”.

Simmons and her allies wanted voters to vote “no” as the charter made it easier for residents to appeal and reverse zoning approvals for developments. In addition, they felt that several proposed provisions had issues. One was it would let any city owner sign a petition to appeal planning and zoning approvals (and not just neighbors).

Stamford and Westport are the only municipalities in the state that allow a direct appeal of planning and zoning decisions by a committee. In Stamford, that is the Board of Representatives (BOR).

A majority of the Board of Representatives and State Rep. David Michel told reporters, the proposed revisions were valuable by providing checks and balances for the people. Though the mayor said several projects couldn’t have occurred under these proposed rules, the majority leader of the BOR, Nina Sherwood, called Simmons’ fears overblown.

Simmons went to the state legislature to block some parts of the charter revision. House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) and State House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) both agreed with Simmons, saying some of the proposed charter proposals go too far and could set a dangerous precedent in other towns. They noted it would pit local home rule against state authority, and would pit slower development against ambitious development.

Though successful, many other proposals, like how much power the Board of Representatives could have, and how appointments are conducted, were still on the ballot in November of 2023. Though some criticized Simmons for not appealing to the voters directly, and her opponents called her secret measure a “rat” (as in benefiting one person or group). Some felt it was just statewide policy.

During the November vote, Simmons and her allies came out victorious, winning a 57-43 vote “no”, with a majority of the city’s voters opposing the changes to the city’s governing document. Sherwood told the press that a lot of money was spent to tell people to vote against what she believed was in the city’s best interest.

Some other controversial proposed changes included the appointment process for non-elected boards and commissions. The proposed change would give any one of the Board of Representatives the power to nominate a candidate when the mayor fails to appoint a member. Some felt it was a proposed power grab by the Board.

Democratic City Committee Primaries March 2024

The feud continued between Democrats in Stamford during the Democratic City Committee Primaries a few months later.

Not every town has this process, but in Stamford, voters elect the members who are on the city’s Democratic Party committee. This committee endorses candidates, provides candidate support, and is part of the town party leadership and strategy to mobilize and get voter engagement. Some members are part of the Board of Education, the Board of Finance, and the Board of Representatives

Most members running were split into two groups: Stamford Dems for Responsive Government, and Democrats United for Stamford. Mayor Simmons and DCC Chair Robin Druckman supported the United Team.

One of the major disagreements between the two groups was the practice of members endorsing themselves for board positions. Very important in a state where an endorsement means easier ballot access.

The United Team was taking aim at 14 members of the Board of Representatives who were on the Responsive Government Slate for being “double dippers” on endorsements. The endorsements are important for determining who gets the rubber stamp of party endorsement on the ballot for state legislature races in the city and municipal elections in 2025.

Dual Op-Eds by BOR Rep. Carl Weinberg and BOR Majority Nina Sherwood showed opposing oppositions. Weinburg targeted his colleagues for endorsing themselves. Sherwood said it’s not a pretty situation; however, the party has allowed this situation because of “predatory behavior against anyone that doesn’t toe the line“.

Members were split amongst the two sides, as they all had different perspectives on the situation they faced. Some said they wouldn’t double dip, and only retain one of their current positions; others disagreed.

During the March 2024 election, however, the United Slate swept the election. The group aligned with Mayor Simmons won 27 of the 34 seats up for grabs. The incumbent Board of Representatives fared poorly during the election, with only three of the fifteen incumbents winning their districts. Simmons now had many more of her allies on the committee.

State Reps. Ousted in 2024 Primaries

Simmons and her allies on the committee now had the votes to not give endorsements to two local state representatives with whom they had many disagreements. State Rep. David Michel and State Rep. Anabel Figueroa. Both were on the outs with the town committees, along with three other members of the State House delegation. However, out of the 9 contested primaries for State House and Senate that involved an incumbent legislator in August 2024, only Michel and Figueroa lost, signaling it was far more than just internal disagreements.

Figueroa, in particular, garnered national attention after remarks she made about her opponent, Jonathan Jacobson. Figueroa, who already looked in danger of losing her seat, told voters in a Spanish ad that, when translated, was “we cannot permit a person who is of Jewish origin, of Jewish origin, to represent our community. It’s impossible”.

Figueroa found herself in national headlines after those remarks, which were described as very antisemitic. She was encouraged to apologize, but Jacobson did not accept her initial apology until she offered an unconditional apology after she spoke with a rabbi. However the damage was done and Figueroa lost in a 37-63 landslide against Jacobson.

Michel’s opponent, Eilish Collins Main, was part of that faction that Mayor Simmons was a part of. His loss could be due to disagreements he had with Mayor Simmons, as Michel was known as a liberal Democrat, but Main was just more popular with voters and had a strong background in local politics. Michel lost by a large margin 44-56.

Who is in the September Primaries

Party-Endorsed Candidates Marked With A *

In all districts, voters have to vote for up to two candidates on their ballot.

Find the ballot on the State’s Secretary of State Website listed here.

District 5

Nicole Beckham*

Kierra Dorsey*

Bonnie Kim Campbell

District 6

Ryan Hughes*

Parker Johnson*

Lindsey Miller

Denis W. Patterson

District 10

Felix Gardner*

Stephanie Sylvestre*

Brittany Lawrence

District 13

Amiel Goldberg*

Eric Morson*

Dave Adams

District 17

Lewis Finkel*

Bobby Pavia*

Sean Boeger

Rosa Colon

Notable Points About Challenges

With all the recent infighting over the past few years, it is no surprise that challengers emerged against the party-endorsed candidates.

In the 5th District, Incumbent Campbell will challenge the endorsed slate. She was elected to the board in 2021.

Similarly, in the 6th District, Incumbent Paterson will challenge the endorsed slate. He has been on the board since 2015. He will run alongside Lindsey Miller, who was previously on the board in the neighboring 7th district for a decade before resigning due to moving out of said district.

Surprisingly, there is currently no race in the 8th district. At the last minute, Board President Nina Sherwood said she was withdrawing from the race. Former State Rep. Figueroa was looking to challenge Sherwood and her fellow endorsed member, Theo Gross; however, it looks like she did not make the ballot.

Another incumbent, Sean Boeger, will challenge the endorsed candidates in the 17th district due to how redistricting worked in 2022.

The rest of the candidates have interesting profiles and experiences that they will have to use to appeal to voters, for what is likely a very low turnout primary in September. You can find out more about the other candidates in this piece by the Stamford Advocate.

Overview

Based on recent elections, I would say that the candidates who have the party endorsement are likely to beat out their challengers, even if they are incumbents. However, I wouldn’t be too surprised if one or two incumbents make it through. I think most of the endorsed candidates will prevail at the end of the day.

Stamford has had a long history of Democratic infighting in the city, and it will only continue into the following weeks. I look forward to seeing what happens in these downballot races.

I will soon have articles on primaries we are looking at on September 9th, and will try to make some predictions in the bigger races.

Thanks for Reading!

A postcard of Waterbury City Hall. Credit to Jablonski Building Conservation, Inc. (JBC)

Overview

Over the past few weeks, I’ve focused on the elections at the top of the ballot in many local races across the state. This included the mayoral race in Hamden and the town council election in Bloomfield. What I wanted to remind readers about is the many other offices that are on the ballot. This ranges from town to town as each town has its own government structure and decides which committees include elected and appointed positions. This leads to a variety of positions on the ballot in November.

One city I wanted to focus on is Waterbury. In 2023, Waterbury had a competitive mayoral election for a open seat. Democrat Paul Pernerewski defeated Republican Dawn Maiorano in a close 50-45 victory.

Perenerwski is not on the ballot this year as Waterbury has a four-year mayoral term. However, there could be competitive races in both the primary and general elections. The Board of Aldermen could potentially have Republican and Democratic primaries in all five districts. There are likely Democratic primaries on the Board of Education.

Brief Background on Waterbury

Waterbury, known as the “Brass City” due to their historical dominance of the brass industry, is the fifth-largest city in the state.

In the 1920s, the Naugatuck Valley produced more than 1/3 of the brass manufactured in the United States. This brass was used in a wide variety of products, including screws, washers, toy airplanes, and cocktail shakers.

However, Waterbury and the surrounding area have watched the brass industry go overseas while local factories shut down in the following decades.

Currently, Waterbury has a growing downtown area with notable attractions such as the Mattatuck Museum and the Palace Theater.

Mayor Perenerswki noted that he wasn’t surprised by the 2024 presidential results. He explained that he felt National Democrats did not address the needs of the people in the community. In addition, Republicans were able to tap into the grievances and dispossession of the white working-class voters across the country.

Waterbury has an interesting and rich political past. Though there have not been any major controversies in the last 25 years, the 20th century past is a whole different story. T. Frank Hayes, the city’s mayor from 1930 to 1939, was convicted with 26 others for a conspiracy to defraud the city out of one million dollars. The city had years of serious financial strain due to mismanagement. In 1992, Mayor Joseph Santopietro was convicted in a payoff conspiracy where he received bribes and kickbacks disguised as loans. Mayor Phillip Giordano was found soon after his mayoral tenure convicted on child sex charges and possible political corruption.

The 2024 election results in Waterbury had Kamala Harris winning the town 55-44.

Waterbury System of Government

Waterbury has a town-council form of government.

The council is comprised of the mayor and 15 aldermen. The 15 aldermen are split among five districts, with the three highest vote-getters in each district winning a spot on the board.

The mayor and aldermen are elected biennially in odd years. The board of education also has staggered terms to ensure there are veteran members on the board.

A party cannot have more than 2/3 of the seats on the board of aldermen.

2023 Elections

Democrats have done well in local elections in Waterbury in recent years. In 2023, Democrats won the maximum number of Alderman seats they could have won (10). Democrats also won the Mayor Race, City Clerk, City Sheriff, and the majority of seats on the Board of Education.

The closest race on the Board of Aldermen was in the first district. The Board of Education results were also fairly close.

Board of Aldermen and Board of Education Results in 2023. Source: Secretary of State Website

Republican Board of Aldermen Primary Races

Despite this dominance from the Democratic party, and the unlikelihood of gains that can lead to a change of party control, City GOP chair Dawn Maiorano believes Republicans can whittle down Democratic majorities.

However, Waterbury GOP has to contend with infighting due to two Republican primaries in Aldermanic districts, and plausible challenges in all five, depending on candidates receiving the required signatures needed.

Maiorano describes the situation as “it’s the family fight“. She explained that once it’s over, everyone will unite behind the campaign. That wish might be far-fetched, however, as Republican factions accuse the others of not being sufficiently supportive of the party.

In District 2, Josh Brenner qualified for the primary ballot against endorsed candidates Ruben Rodriguez and Andrew Clisham.

In District 4, former Minority Leader George Noujaim and Paul Kondash have gathered enough signatures to challenge the endorsed slate of Allen Leon and Reynaldo Melendez.

In District 1, Alderman Mary Cavallo is running with Amy Nardozzi as a slate. They still have to finish gathering signatures. However, this is the second time Cavallo has not received the town’s endorsement, yet she made the ballot in 2023, and intends to again. Cavallo and Nardozzi will face the endorsed slate of Michael Grosso and Jameson Stock,

Both Cavallo and Noujaim have faced scrutiny from Maiorano, who says they are not reliable Republicans. They did not receive the endorsements due to GOP leaders feeling like they are too close and cooperative with the Democratic majority.

With all the infighting, it’ll be interesting to see how Maiorano can get the GOP back behind candidates they didn’t endorse if they emerge victorious in the primary. Primaries in the other Aldermen districts are possible.

Endorsed Candidates in Other Districts

District 3: Kelly Zimmerman, Abigail Diaz

District 5: Jack Alspeh, Adrian Sanchez

Board of Education: Thomas Van Stone Sr., Terrance Lott, Jr.

Waterbury DTC vs United Democrats of Waterbury

Democrats are not free from infighting. However, they face a slightly different situation.

The Democratic Town Committee (DTC) is facing challenges from the organization United Democrats of Waterbury. United Democrats of Waterbury believes the Waterbury DTC is a stagnant status quo and that they have concentrated power and limited transparency. They’ve also campaigned for a more diverse slate across every demographic.

According to a Facebook Post by the Waterbury Observer, the issues date back over a hundred years. When the city elected officials at-large, or across the city, power was concentrated among affluent white voters and not the Black and Brown populations of the city. When the Board switched to a district system, many felt that Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary neutralized this new system by exerting control over the board, ensuring everything went through him. The post continues that Mayor Perenerwski, a longtime Board of Aldermen member, continued the system. The United Democrats of Waterbury wants to bring power to the districts.

A slate of candidates led by Rafael Roman, who has recruited nine candidates for the Board of Aldermen and three for the Board of Education, will face off against the endorsed slate from the DTC.

Democratic Primary Races

However, it isn’t exactly a simple case of one side vs the other.

Some candidates are endorsed both both the DTC and United Democrats of Waterbury. This includes Nelson Roman, who is running in the 5th district. He was endorsed by incumbent Geraldo Reyes Jr., who has an independent streak as an alderman, meaning he is both a challenger and an endorsed member. Alderwoman Sanra McCarthy, the president pro tempore of the board of Aldermen, is also cross-endorsed by United Democrats of Waterbury

Ken Curran, the city chairman of the Democratic Party, is the endorsed DTC candidate along with Michael Rinaldi in District 1. They are facing a challenge from United Democrats Brenda Liz Cotto Figueroa and Denise Martinez.

The endorsed slate by the DTC includes

District 2: Belina Weaver, Ian Blake

District 3: Sean Mosley, John Drewery

District 4: Michael DiGiovancarlo, Jeffrey Hunter Sr.

Board of Education: LaToya Ireland, Kay Munoz, and Margaret Heyward

It’ll be interesting to see how the slates end up at the end from two different factions.

Offices Elected in Other Towns

This article should act as a reminder to everyone to look at other offices on the ballot that aren’t the mayor or town council races. In some towns, this is fairly simple.

In West Hartford, the only offices on the ballot typically are the Board of Education, Town Council, and Town Clerk.

Other towns, however, have a lot more to vote on. Some towns have ballot questions depending on the year. The Town of Brookfield in 2023 had the typical expected offices like First Selectman, Selectman, Board of Education, and Town Clerk. However, voters vote on other offices, including Town Treasurer, Board of Finance, Board of Assessment, Planning Commission, Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and four ballot questions.

The town of Orange in 2023 had to vote for Constables, and Amity Regional Board of Education, the Board of Education, Tax Collector, and more. The Town of Glastonbury elects a Board of Fire Commissioners. In 2021, the Town of Plainfield had 7 ballot questions and a two-page ballot for voters to vote on.

Though for many of these offices, most people who run win a seat, as the exact number of candidates running for the needed positions is. Some races hidden in the ballot can be competitive and potentially affect certain positions in your town that you didn’t know were so important.

It’s important to understand how these committees and boards work so one can better understand how the town and its services are run.

I highly recommend using the Secretary of State website prior to the primaries and the general election to get a good look at your ballot before you head to the voting booth, so you are fully aware of all the offices that are on the ballot.

Thanks for Reading!

Luke Bronin in his campaign video: Source: Twitter

It’s Happening!

Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, released a campaign video Tuesday morning announcing a primary challenge to 14-term incumbent John Larson.

Overview

On Monday, I dropped an article discussing the prospects of multiple challengers to Congressman John Larson. I discussed the potential candidacies of Luke Bronin and State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, who could potentially join a crowded field with Hartford Board of Ed Member Ruth Fortune and Southington Town Councilor Jack Perry.

Now, Bronin has officially thrown his hat in the ring. He is currently Larson’s strongest challenger and will make Larson work for a potential 15th term in Congress.

Larson and Bronin

Larson was reportedly shocked when Bronin asked him to consider retirement. He said, “I thought he was kidding”. When Larson said he was going to run, Bronin told him he was going to run against him.

Larson told a dig at Bronin, offering a “new voice”. He said “You know, it takes work. It takes effort. It takes a plan. We’ve got them, and we’re going to deliver on it,” Larson said. “When you run for public office, it’s about what you’ve been able to deliver, what you’re currently working on today, and what your vision is for the future. What was Mr. Bronin’s?”

Bronin later remarked that he didn’t feel that Larson has the sense of urgency necessary. Larson told reporters how they don’t cover social security enough and the importance of the issue (and his bill on it), saying if Democrats win the House in 2026, he’ll regain his chairmanship.

However, he was unable to win passage when Democrats had unified control in 2021 and 2009, and Democrats won’t have control in 2026. Larson insisted that social security reforms were still possibly, and said next week, a bill will be dropped that addresses it, “first time a leader in the House of Representatives in more than 50 years has been out in front.”. He also hinted that Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies will come to Connecticut on his behalf.

The dam is broken in a state where ambitious politicians have long deferred to the state’s top officials, waiting for an open seat or opportunity. Larson was waltzing his way to another term, waiting to announce a campaign after local elections in November, as he only needs minimal fundraising in this safe Harris 61-38 district. However, these challenges have changed everything, and Larson announced a campaign kickoff next month, but told everyone he will be running again, and that he’s the best for the job.

Personal Background

Luke Bronin grew up in the wealthy communities of Rye, NY, and Greenwich, CT. The son of a doctor and a former teacher. Bronin grew up attending the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. He lated attended recieved his undergraduate degree and law degree from Yale University. He was also a Rhodes Scholar.

Bronin has had many jobs before he became mayor.

He worked as the chief of staff for the president and property casualty operations at the Hartford Financial Services Group. Bronin worked at the US Department of the Treasury during the Obama administration. He was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes. His work involved working on the government’s efforts against regimes in Syria and Iran, blocking money from terrorist groups.

He served in the US Navy Reserve during a deployment in Afghanistan for six months, where he was part of an anti-corruption task force.

Just before his mayoral campaign, he worked as part of then-Gov. Dannell Malloy’s general counsel. He was also a partner in the law firm Hinckley Allen.

Hartford Mayoral Race in 2015

Bronin moved to Hartford in 2006 when his former wife, Sara, got a job the University of Connecticut School of Law. He left in 2009, for work in Washington, D.C, and in Afghanistan. He returned to the city in 2013.

Bronin challenged incumbent Mayor Pedro Seggara in 2015. The city of Hartford has faced many issues over the previous years. In 2010, Mayor Eddie Perez resigned after a conviction on corruption charges. Perez was known as exerting a huge control over the city.

Interestingly, Seggara was known as the opposite. Though he won the 2011 mayoral race, Seggara received a poor reputation as an executive and had poor relations with many of the state’s leaders. He was also seen as a weaker leader.

Seggara used tactics that will likely be used against Bronin in his congressional campaign, such as attacking his privileged upbringing, his background, and the fact that he was an outsider with weak ties to the city. Though it did not work, some of the attacks stuck with Bronin throughout his tenure.

In September of 2015, as expected, Bronin emerged victorious and won the Mayoral Race 55-45 over Seggara.

Mayoral Tenure

Dunkin Park in 2023. A huge economic benefit and developmental liability faced by Hartford: Source: Hartford Courant

Bronin faced immediate issues in a city that faced with some of the poorest precincts in the country. The city’s challenges were endless and difficult to contend with.

Bronin’s biggest accomplishment was likely leading the city out of the verge of bankruptcy by winning passage of state-financed bailout in 2017. He was also able to get business leaders and surrounding suburban communities on his side of the issue, agreeing to help out the city.

Ned Lamont praised Bronin’s tenure in 2022 as he announced he was stepping down. Lamont praised Bronin on helping many business stay in the area, and his better relationships with officals allowed Bronin to secure funding for the city’s infrastructure.

The city has also had many recent development areas for business and new housing. An aggressive push for mixed-income housing occurred. Through this, many communitiy intitvatives have taken place to help discconected youth. Bronin also received praise for his COVID-19 response and his style in informing city residents of the crisis,

Some debate if Bronin really solved the fiscal crisis or just convinced the state to pay for it. There was a debate from many people in surrounding areas whether they had to pay for Hartford’s mishandling of finances prior to Bronin’s tenure. Nevertheless, he’s been given credit for the city’s improved financial situation.

Bronin has also faced criticism for labor relations, due to his initial proposed concessions with city unions. In addition, gun violence and crime remained a large issue through his tenure with a spike occuring soon after the start of the pandemic. The city also faced isues from the developers of the Hartford Yard Goats stadium, and how the pandemic affected office buildings downtown.

Some critics also point to Bronin’s push for market race housing which was not seen as effective. Some felt he should have focused more against landlords.

Strengths of Candidacy

• Profile: Bronin has an appealing profile as a young elected official with a lot of experience. He served in the Treasury Department, had a tour in Afghanistan, and was a Rhodes Scholar. This could allow voters to be comforted by someone who is new, yet very experienced.
• Generational Change: Bronin is more than 30 years younger than Larson. Local voters will be happy to see an experienced candidate who is young and energetic. Bronin says an important reason on primarying Larson is the importance of communication through social media and other means. He says good policy does not get you as far in this environment. I believe this is a good argument to start with. But he has to put out content and positions that prove this point. Bronin, however, is ambitious and has been his entire career, so his energy to the race can help him.
• Connections: Bronin is a state staple who is well-known for being close with elected officials across the state in the district. Some say that he is good at connecting with others. Others note that he has kept up good relations with many leaders in the district, attending events, and keeping up connections. This can help him, as many other leaders in the district will endorse Larson. He can possibly get some endorsements from Hartford and the surrounding areas.
• Name ID and Fundraising: Looking at Bronin’s other opponents. Ruth Fortune and Jack Perry face massive issues in their name ID. No one knows who they are. Bronin’s leadership of the capital city and bid for governor in 2018 make him much more well-known to voters of the local area. Even if State Rep. Gilchrest jumps in, Bronin starts out ahead on a name ID level. For Democratic primary voters, this will help him more. In addition, during his 2015 mayoral campaign, Bronin prepared early and raised more than $800,000 against the incumbent, so his fundraising chops will come in handy for this race.
• First Significant Challenger: Though Larson has other challengers, Bronin is much more well-known than the others. This allows him an early start on fundraising and gives him the mantra of Larson’s main challenger. If someone else jumps in, they would have to compete with the others’ fundraising, with pressure for one of them to drop out to consolidate the Anti-Larson vote.

Weaknessess

• Profile: This can go both ways. Bronin will need to contend with his affluent upbringing and work to carefully make a profile to make residents believe he can understand their issues. Bronin shielded these attacks in 2015 by noting the difficult upbringing faced by his parents and family, and how they worked hard to give him a better life. How can he contend this in 2025, which will likely be similar, but involve a different angle. Bronin, a white-male guy in his 40s, needs to explain to a party of base voters that he can understand the plight of racial minorities in a district with a growing minority population. In addition, Bronin will need to be careful about fundraising, ensuring he gets it from small donors and not corporations or rich donors. Finally, Bronin will need to be careful to not hold an establishment reputation. Though that sentiment decrease with his challenge in the first place, people want someone new, not someone of the past. Bronin will need to prove that he is different than the current Democrats of Washington.
• Big-City Mayor: Being a mayor of a big city as its pros and cons. Facing systemic problems faced by the poorest of state residents is difficult. The city’s crime rates were high. Bronin will have to defend his mayoral tenure, faced by questions about the city’s schools and crime. A city that has faced scrutiny for it. In addition, many public comments about mistakes and governing abilities are likely due to the size of the city. Can Bronin said he made the city better than it was when he left during his eight-year tenure. If he struggles with this answer, people will question why they should make him a congressman.
• Ambition: Political opportunism is common in politics. But how people view is all dependent on the candidate. It’s no secret that Bronin wants to run for governor instead. Will voters not feel like he actually wants to be their congressman over higher aspirations? We won’t know this until the campaign kicks off in earnest.
• 5-Way Race: If this race were between Bronin and Larson, it could be much closer. If Gilchrest jumps into the race, and due to her more progressive reputation in the legislature, is able to take that mantle from Bronin as the change that is needed. She will dominate fundraising nationally over him. Bronin will get caught between them. However, a multi-way race will likely benefit Larson, who can win with a plurality of the vote.

Conclusion

This is a very different environment from when Bronin won his 2015 Democratic primary for mayor. He had the city’s establishment and leaders behind him. He will likely not enjoy that privilege this time. CT Mirror’s Mark Paznikos reports that since Larson’s issues earlier in the year, and the threat of challenges, he’s looks as energetic as ever running around the district.

Larson is a staple in the district. Explaining to voters why they should toss out an incumbent for age reasons only isn’t enough if Larson can prove he’s more effective.

Larson will sweep endorsements of the state’s federal delegation, likely. Local endorsements may vary, as Bronin definitely can get some endorsements from the city. Bronin has a good chance to make this a competitive race, but he needs to clearly define himself as more than a generational change.

Though this is a good start, he needs to start taking positions and try new ideas that either Larson hasn’t talked about, or that his opponents haven’t seized on. Whether it’s a national policy or a local policy, Using his current profile to make himself the favorite of the people willing to vote for change will be necessary.

Most importantly, he needs to do this before (and if) Gilchrest jumps into the race, and seize on this energy. Since Gilchrest has more reputation as a progressive, if that’s the direction he chooses, he needs to affirm if before he gets caught in the middle between her and Larson. If Gilchrest doesn’t jump in, he still needs to build a profile that can appeal to a wide range of residents.

He has a chance to change the dynamics of this district. What I’m sure of he will give Larson a good race. How far can he go?

We have to wait to see how his campaign takes off and the positions he takes. Importantly, how his opponents and Larson will navigate this new field.

Thanks for Reading!

Southington Council Member and Small Business Owner Jack Perry with his family. Source: Jack Perry for Congress

Overview

The 1st Congressional District has something brewing that may lead to an outcome that hasn’t happened since the state started conducting formal primaries over five decades ago. There might be a primary challenger on the ballot against an Incumbent Democratic member of the House.

John Larson, a 14-term incumbent in the 1st congressional district, is a staple in his district. He has not faced a single challenger since his narrow primary win in the open seat against then Secretary of State Miles Rapoport in 1998.

He not only has two challengers running against him currently, Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune, and Southington Town Council Member Jack Perry. But two even more prominent names, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, and State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, have publicly discussed the possibility of challenging Larson. If either takes the plunge, we might have the most significant primary challenge against an incumbent in the state since Senator Joe Lieberman in 2006.

A Brief Political Background on John Larson

John Larson has been a staple in the 1st District for over three decades. He grew up in public housing with seven brothers and sisters in East Hartford.

After graduating from East Hartford High School and Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Larson worked as a high school history teacher and co-owned an insurance agency before entering politics.

He started his career on the East Hartford Board of Education in 1977. He rose quickly to the East Hartford Town Council, and by 1982, he was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in the 3rd District. By 1987, he was picked by his peers as President Pro Tempore of the State Senate.

Larson did not run for reelection and lost the 1994 Democratic nomination for Governor to Bill Curry. Larson entered private business but ensured to keep up his political connections. He was able to leverage these connections for the 1st Congressional seat in 1998. The seat was open since Democratic Incumbent Barbara Kennelly decided to run for governor.

He narrowly defeated Secretary of State Miles Rapoport in the primary by a narrow 46-42 margin.

Larson in Congress

Interestingly, Larson was the moderate challenger in his primary race against the more progressive Miles Rapoport in their 1998 primary. However, during his tenure in Congress, Larson has garnered a progressive record. Though his positions in leadership make him somewhat loyal to establishment-based leadership. On Voteview, Larson ranks nearly in the dead middle of his Democratic house colleagues on the Left-Right spectrum, firmly between the moderates and progressives.

John Larson is currently a member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee. He is also included on the Subcommittees on Trade and Social Security. Larson’s main cause in Congress has been focused on social security. Larson has also had prominent leadership positions during his tenure. He was the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2006 to 2009, and was later picked as the chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2009 to 2013.

Larson has played a large role in authoring legislation that allowed for Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices for consumers. A prominent provision that was signed into law by President Biden in 2022. Larson, also due to his leadership position, was very involved in passing the Affordable Care Act during the Obama Administration. He also worked with the Late Rep. John Lewis on the For the Peoples Act, and was an original cosponsor of the similar John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment.

Larson Recently

This is something Larson has highlighted in his recent press statements (and by his family members). Larson has discussed his seniority, strength on social security, and how this allows him to have more influence in bringing back funding into the district. Seniority (and bringing funding to the district) has been a long-standing way to encourage primary voters to vote for long-term incumbents. However, in this anti-incumbent environment targeting older lawmakers, it is hard to say how much the salience of seniority arguments works on primary voters after the 2024 elections. An environment where scrutiny over long-term and older incumbents has greatly increased, and seniority lawmakers aren’t seen as much of an asset compared to recent campaigns.

The recent deaths of prominent long-term older Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), and Rep. Sylvester Turner (TX-18) has allowed for the uncomfortable discussion of encouraging the retirement of older lawmakers. Many, however, including Larson, who would turn 80 during his next term, feel that they are capable of being in Congress and that they are the best for the position.

More recently, Larson has had less visual prominence in the Democratic caucus. Larson also attracted unwanted attention for a partial seizure he suffered during a speech in both February and April. His comments in March on Elon Musk garnered positive attention for him. We discussed this in an article two weeks ago. This issue has led many to see Larson as vulnerable.

New Challenger Jack Perry

We discussed Larson’s first challenger in the Hartford Board of Ed. Member and Attorney Ruth Fortune, who filed against Larson during the July 4th weekend.

A new challenger has emerged in the Southington Town Counciler and Small Businessman Jack Perry. Jack Perry has stated “I’m running for Congress because, like so many others, I am fed up with this broken economic system that is rigged against the working and middle class,” he said in a statement. Perry is making this the center of his campaign, featuring the quote on both his campaign kickoff video and on his campaign website.

Perry’s Campaign

Perry didn’t note anything specific about Larson, but talked about needing fresh leadership who will fight against Trump and corporate interests. He also talked about fighting for the person as a working-class person. He also cited his background, experience, and his unique profile for a potential member of Congress. Perry cites this due to his working-class career in the garbage hauling business.

Perry has also gained attention for pledging to spend $500,000 of his own money against Larson. Funds he got from selling his family-owned garage business, HQ Dumpsters and Recycling, though he currently oversees daily operations. He is also suspected of releasing a poll in March, gauging a hypothetical primary, receiving the attention of local state politicos. Perry is not well-known around the state, although he did gain some recognition for running for a State Senate seat in 2020 against Republican incumbent Rob Sampson, who beat Perry 54-46. Notably, Trump performed well in the district.

Due to not being well-known, Perry acknowledges the uphill battle against the incumbent, citing the effort and passion he is willing to put into the campaign. We have to see what issues and events he does to garner more attention.

What is Luke Bronin Planning?

Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford from 2016 until 2024, has spent years preparing for a run for governor. However, with Governor Ned Lamont likely to run for a 3rd term, Bronin is looking elsewhere to continue his political career.

Bronin has a lot of guts. He reportedly has asked Larson to step down and make way for a new generation. Larson told Bronin he is running again, and Bronin has reportedly been seriously contemplating a campaign. Bronin, similar to other challengers, says he respects Larson’s work, but it’s time for the baton to be passed.

I believe Bronin thinks that if he waits to the next open gubernatorial race in 2030, he would have been out of office too long to be seriously considered for the Democratic nomination meaning he is looking at his options.

It is important to note that if he jumps in, this won’t be the first time Bronin has challenged an incumbent in a primary. A background that includes being a Navy veteran, Yale graduate, working in an appointed position at the Treasury Department under Obama, and general counsel for Governor Dannel Malloy’s administration. Bronin challenged Incumbent Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra in 2015, secured the Democratic Town Committee endorsement, and beat Seggara by ten points.

If he jumps in, we will discuss Bronin’s background in more detail. However, an ambitious politician with experience, good relationships in the district, and the ability to fundraise positions him as a top challenger to Larson if he jumps in. He is also only 46, more than three decades younger than Larson, with experience, something voters in the district might be happy to see in a challenger.

Will Jillian Gilchrest Jump in?

State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest at a conference. Source: Facebook

State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, the director of Health Professional Outreach at the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, is one of the most prominent progressive voices in the state.

Gilchrest, who is also an adjunct professor and was a prominent co-organizer of the Women’s March Connecticut, has also told reporters that she is looking at the race.

Reporters note the lack of downside since so many politicians are looking at the race. Gilchrest, who, like Bronin, came to office from a challenging incumbent. Gilchrest successfully won a primary challenge against 12-term Incumbent State Rep. Andy Fleischmann in the 18th district in 2018. Gilchrest ran on a progressive agenda, focusing on the state’s economic future, new ideas of thinking, and noted that more women needed to be in office.

Gilchrest, who didn’t win the Democratic Town Committee endorsement, petitioned to make the ballot, won an upset 52-48 victory over Fleischman, and has been in office since.

Why Gilchrest is a Prominent Candidate

Gilchrest has been one of the first names frequently mentioned as someone who would very likely run for the 1st district when Larson retires. Gilchrest’s prominence on Women’s issues, maternal health, and education has allowed her a great reputation in the state house. Her previous activism makes her a perfect candidate for progressives.

She told reporters that she is considering running for office. She said that though respect should go to Larson, the number of people getting in has made her want to be part of it. Gilchrest, the co-chair of the assembly’s human services committee, talked about how Democrats are “looking for voices who will be speaking about the issues that impact them and not waiting to feel out how to best say something“. She also noted that leaders who are direct and talk about everyday issues are important.

Gilchrest told the Courant she didn’t have a timeline a few weeks ago, but if she gets in, she will be a very prominent challenger against Larson. She is also only 43, nearly 35 years younger than Larson.

What Will Happen?

Predicting primary elections is difficult, especially a year out before the primary. But here is what I think is likely and what I expect. If I am wrong, then we can look back and have a good laugh!

I think Ruth Fortune will struggle the most out of the four named candidates. She currently has no campaign website and no name ID. She will struggle with funding if more prominent names jump into the race. Under Connecticut’s restrictive ballot system, I don’t think she will make the ballot. She might get some attention, depending on her stances on some issues, but I don’t see her gaining much traction.

Jack Perry is an interesting candidate. A small business owner who is only 35 and has $500,000 is self-funding he is willing to throw against Larson, who, according to the Downballot, has had very meager fundraising for an incumbent in Quarter 2. Larson, who, due to his solid name ID and never having a challenger in the safe Democratic district, has never had to raise much money, but if facing an onslaught of attacks if the race turns negative, he might need to raise more money.

Perry can garner some attention depending on how he takes his campaign. He will need to focus more on the issues and differentiating himself from Larson. Currently, his website has no issues listed. With no likely policy differences, the question is a generational argument enough to take out Larson? I’m skeptical, but things can change throughout the campaign.

Why Money Might Not Guarantee Ballot Access

If Bronin and Gilchrest both don’t jump in, I think Perry will be Larson’s most prominent challenger, but getting on the ballot isn’t easy, even with significant self-funding. If Bronin and Gilchrest do jump in, he might struggle to garner traction and make the ballot.

Perry has to be reminded by 2022. When Larson had a challenger in former staffer and substitute Teacher Muad Hrezi, who raised a solid $500,000 during his primary campaign. Hrezi, however, did not make the ballot due to a poor showing at the Convention and struggling to get signatures in a tough summer primary when COVID made garnering signatures more difficult than usual. However, there was 0 momentum for Larson to face any challenger at that time; state delegates and most primary voters weren’t interested as Hrezi struggled to garner attention.

Despite his self-funding, it might not be enough to challenge Larson considerably without gaining traction otherwise. Hrezi also attempted a generational argument and couldn’t make the ballot or get 15% of the delegates. Of course, there is more momentum for generational change, but Perry will need to convince voters that he is the change.

Here’s Where The Race Becomes Unpredictable

Gilchrest or Bronin, if either enters the race, will both seriously change the calculus of the race. Bronin has many connections across the state and a profile that many would find attractive. Gilchrest, who hails from the voter-rich neighboring suburb of West Hartford, which has the most voters in the district (despite being half of the population of Hartford), is popular and will do well in the town.

Most importantly, both can make the ballot either through convention delegates (due to local prominence) or through the signature requirement of the ballot if they fundraise well.

I would be surprised if both Bronin and Gilchrest entered, as they would be fighting for a similar consistuency, leading to Larson potentially winning the primary in a plurality. It is, however, plausible, and if they both enter, I assume Gilchrest would have a better chance of taking the progressive mantle over Bronin.

Also, though it attracted attention and made Larson appear vulnerable, I’m not sure if a purely age argument will be enough by the summer of 2026. Larson has served the district well, bringing billions of dollars of funding, and will be the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee if Democrats retake the majority next year.

Plausible Scenarios

If Lamont decides not to seek a third term, however, I think Bronin would clearly want to run for governor. Gilchrest, who is still serving in the legislature, would likely have to give up her seat for a risky primary challenge. Bronin is not currently in an elected position, so if he goes for it, Gilchrest might wait to make a decision.

In addition, if the pressure continues and Larson decides to retire, the calculus will change, and I would expect not only both members to enter the primary, but also other members of the legislature and local office to enter for a seat that hasn’t had an open primary in nearly thirty years. In that scenario, I expect a super chaotic race.

Bronin and Gilchrest are some of the most prominent politicians to consider primarying an Incumbent House Member in the country, meaning they could both attract national attention. This can help with fundraising if they go through with it.

They can also increase their prominence if it doesn’t work, as I highly doubt it would end either of their political careers, and might give them other opportunities. However, whenever one challenges an incumbent, it can make relationships with other local members difficult, especially if many favor Larson, which Gilchrest might contemplate more due to being a member of the legislature.

Overall

It’s important to note that Larson is a formidable opponent with decades of experience and relationships across the district. He doesn’t have any specific issue for an opponent to seize on, other than his age.

However, times have changed. Seniority isn’t seen as a positive by some of the Democratic party electorate. An electorate that demands leaders to fight more and be visible on issues on social media.

If Bronin and Gilchrest don’t jump in, I think Larson is super safe in his seat. If Bronin or Gilchrest takes the plunge, I don’t think we can ignore the prospect of a good, competitive race.

It will be interesting to see what happens. I will keep updated on the race and provide updates as needed. I think no matter what, it’ll be an interesting race that everyone should pay attention to.

Thanks for Reading!

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.