State and Local Elections: The Aftermath
By Juliette Murphy ‘24
On November 8, 2022, state elections were held in Connecticut for multiple positions, including governor and U.S. senator.
In the election for Connecticut governor, the highest position at the state level, the incumbent Democrat Ned Lamont ran against Republican candidate Bob Stefanowski and Independent Party candidate Rob Hotaling. Lamont won with 56% of the vote.
This was Lamont’s third gubernatorial run, having previously run unsuccessfully in 2010 and successfully in 2018. Lamont beat Stefanowski in that latter race, setting up this year’s rematch. Some of his main campaign positions included cutting taxes (especially for the middle class), protecting the environment, strengthening public safety, and making Connecticut more affordable.
Stefanowski was second, with 43% of the vote. Many describe him as a traditional pro-business, anti-tax Republican. He previously downplayed the importance of gun control and abortion, arguing they were settled law and, therefore, irrelevant to his run. Stefanowski did, however, pledge that he would not change Connecticut laws on either issue.
Coming in last with just 1% of the vote was Rob Hotaling. Hotaling’s campaign slogan was to, “make Connecticut more business friendly and a much more affordable place to live, work, and retire.” One of his main campaign policies was election reform; he advocated same-day voter registration, early voting, and vote-at-home options..
In another contentious race, third term Democratic incumbent Richard Blumenthal faced off against Republican businesswoman Leora Levy for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Blumenthal was declared the winner on Tuesday evening, taking home 57.5% of the vote.
Connecticut’s House delegation for this year is entirely Democratic: John Larson (District 1), Joe Courtney (District 2), Rosa DeLauro (District 3), Jim Himes (District 4) and Jahana Hayes (District 5). This year, Connecticut voters also approved a ballot measure regarding early voting. As a result, legislation can now be drafted to implement an early voting system.
