Election will chart new course for Connecticut
Connecticut voters will set the state on a different path Tuesday, when they go to the polls to select a new governor, state government and congressional delegation.
The race for governor has dominated headlines and airwaves, with television ads intensifying over the last few weeks and days. The battle centers on three candidates with little or no elected experience in a feisty debate over taxes, highway tolls and state spending.
Along with electing a 36- member state Senate and 151- member state House, voters will decide under ticket races for comptroller, secretary of the state, treasurer and attorney general.
And a new congressional delegation will be elected, along with one of the state’s two U. S. senators.
The three men who want to be governor are Democrat Ned Lamont, Republican Bob Stefanowski and Richard “Oz” Griebel, a former Republican mounting an independent bid.
Lamont, a 64- year- old Greenwich resident, is a cable TV and digital services entrepreneur and investor who inherited a Wall Street fortune. His running mate, Susan Bysiewicz, of Middletown, is a former secretary of the state.
Stefanowski, 56, of Madison, is a consultant and former corporate executive at General Electric, UBS Investment Bank and a short- term loan company. His running mate, state Sen. Joe Markley, of Southington, is a longtime conservative voice in the Legislature who has largely been missing on the campaign trail.
Griebel, a 69- year- old Hartford resident who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for governor in 2010, is a lawyer, former banker and the former director of a Hartford- area business organizationl. His running mate, Monte Frank, of Newtown, is a lawyer and a former Democrat in a fusion ticket that would have to buck a trend in low performance among third- party candidates.
The latest polling has the race between Stefanowski and Lamont a toss- up, with the Republican slightly ahead in results that are within the margin of error. Griebel, in the single digits, trails far behind the major party candidates.
Race for governor
Stefanowski has positioned himself as an outsider in the mold of Republican President Donald Trump, whom he regularly praises in carefully controlled campaign stops.
He has mainly focused on one issue — repealing the 27- year- old personal income tax, which accounts for about half the $ 20 billion annual state budget. The Republican blames outgoing Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for budget deficits and a business climate that is driving companies out of Connecticut.
Lamont says he would provide tax relief by increasing the property tax credit on cars and homes to $ 400 million in annual benefits by his third year in office. He would also eliminate the small- but- annoying $ 250 business entity tax.
“I think it’s a false promise to tell you we’re going to eliminate the income tax,” Lamont said recently.
Griebel would tap the state’s emergency reserves, estimated to reach $ 2 billion by the time the new governor takes office, and defer pension contributions over the first two years to give the state some “breathing room” in the state’s fiscal woes.
“If it is not raining now financially, then I don’t know what rain looks like,” Griebel said recently.
Lamont favors highway tolls on trucks only, while Stefanowski opposes tolls. Griebel favors a pilot program to test tolling on a limited basis.
State offices
Two Democrats — Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Comptroller Kevin Lembo — are seeking to retain their jobs.
Lembo is being challenged by Republican Kurt Miller, Seymour’s first selectman. Merrill is facing Republican Susan Chapman, the former first selectwoman of New Fairfield.
For attorney general, voters will choose between Democrat William Tong, a six- term state representative from Stamford and Republican Sue Hatfield, a registered nurse and state prosecutor from Pomfret in her first statewide campaign. Attorney General George Jepsen, a Democrat, is not seeking re- election.
In the treasurer’s race, Democrat Shawn Wooden, an attorney and former Hartford City Council president, is battling Republican Thad Gray, of Lakeville, a retired Wall Street fund manager. Treasurer Denise Nappier, a Democrat, is retiring after 20 years.
Congress
U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, is running against Matthew Corey, a commercial window- washer from Manchester.
Rep. Jim Himes, D- 4th District, is facing Republican Harry Arora, a financial analyst and investment manager from Greenwich.
In the 5th District, Democrat Jahana Hayes, a Waterbury resident and former National Teacher of the Year, is facing former Meriden Republican Mayor Many Santos, an engineer.
U. S. Rep. John Larson, D- 1st and an East Hartford resident, is being challenged by Republican Jennifer Nye of Manchester, a paralegal.
U. S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D- 2nd and a Vernon resident is facing Republican Danny Postemski Jr. of Hampton.
U. S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D- 3rd and a New Haven resident is up against Angel Cadena of Shelton, a parttime truck driver.