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