Hopefuls Closing In On Election Day
Two Weeks Until Voters Go To Polls; Here’s How The Governor’s Race Is Shaping Up
It’s crunch time in Connecticut — the final two weeks of a grueling governor’s race, a historic battle for legislative supremacy and the first midterm election of Donald Trump’s presidency. Here’s a look at what voters need to know:
What’s at stake?
Led by gubernatorial contender Bob Stefanowski, Republicans are seeking to end a 12-year drought in statewide and federal races.
Democrats, with Ned Lamont as their nominee for governor, are clinging to control of the legislature, which could tip to the GOP for the first time in a generation.
For the past two years, the Senate has been split 18-18, with Democrats controlling the tie-breaker because the lieutenant governor serves as the chamber president. Republicans need to pick up five seats to win the House.
The open-seat gubernatorial contest offers Lamont, a Greenwich telecommunications magnate, a shot at redemption — he lost the 2010 primary to Dannel P. Malloy.
Lamont and Stefanowski would take the state in drastically different directions on tax policy, tolls and even the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Who else is running?
Oz Griebel, the former head of the MetroHartford Alliance who ran for the state’s top office as a Republican in 2010, petitioned his way onto the ballot as an independent. He’s participated in recent debates and could siphon votes off from Stefanowski and Lamont. Rod Hanscomb is the Libertarian Party candidate and Mark Stewart Greenstein of the Amigo Constitution Party are also on the ballot.
What do the polls say?
RealClear Politics, a website that averages polls in races across the nation, gives Lamont an 8.5 point lead on Stefanowski, who has been publicly saying that polling data shows a “dead even” contest. Stefanowski trailed Lamont by 5 points in a recent snapshot by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic public opinion tracking firm. Griebel mustered 11 percent in an Oct. 10 Quinnipiac Poll.
What other races are key?
One to watch is state attorney general, which pits state Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the judiciary committee, against Republican state prosecutor Sue Hatfield of Pomfret. The attorney general’s race is seen by many as a proxy fight between the Trump resistance and supporters of the president’s “lawand-order” doctrine.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is up for re-election and all five U.S. House seats are contested, including in the 5th District, where Democrat Elizabeth Esty is not seeking re-electio. Democrat Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, is facing former Meriden GOP Mayor Manny Santos for Esty’s seat.
Why is income tax in play?
Stefanowski proposes to gradually phase out the state income tax — signed into law by Lowell P. Weicker Jr. in 1991. It’s not without controversy. Critics say the plan, developed by Reaganomics guru Arthur Laffer, would gash a $10 billion hole in the state’s annual revenues and would lead to cuts to municipal aid, education funding and social services.
Are tolls returning?
Lamont abandoned an unpopular plan to collect tolls from all motorists, using a high-speed collection technology. He now favors tolling only out-of-state heavy trucks like Rhode Island, which is being sued by the trucking industry for being singled out. Stefanowski says that truck tolls will eventually lead to tolls for everyone. Griebel would institute high-speed tolls as part of a comprehensive plan to fix the state’s dysfunctional transportation system.
What’s a transportation lockbox?
Voters will finally get to decide whether Connecticut should create a repository for gas tax and other transportation-related revenues, which would include tolls. Over the decades, politicians have raided the transportation fund to balance the budget and help pay for other expenses. A lock box would prevent that.
When is the last gubernatorial debate?
The Courant, WTNHChannel 8 and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, will hold a debate from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at Foxwoods Resort Casino.