The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart eyes another run for governor
Republican is exploring options as she begins her sixth term as mayor
NEW BRITAIN — Fresh off being elected to sixth term as New Britain mayor, not to mention giving birth to her second child a few weeks earlier, Erin Stewart is contemplating adding another thing to her busy schedule: a run for governor in 2026.
“Being a mom of two and doing this job, I’ve gotten pretty good at multitasking,” Stewart said from her office Friday.
Stewart, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully in 2018, said she has already begun to have conversations with party leaders and expects to decide if she is in or not by the end of 2024.
“You learn a lot and you grow,” she said of the previous run, adding that she learned from that campaign and it would make her a better candidate this time around.
One of the lessons she learned is that she needs to get started on fundraising early to qualify for campaign financing from the state.
“I’m not rich, I don’t have the ability to selffund a campaign,” she said. “It’s hard to reach those fundraising goals for state financing.”
As for those conversations, she said they have run the range of “you don’t even have to ask, you got me,” to “I’d like to see who else is running first.”
Stewart, 36, said her thoughts of running for a higher office stem from a family tradition of public service, from her father, who also served as mayor of New Britain, to her grandfather, who served in the military. Stewart began her own political career on the New Britain Board of Education and also worked for former U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson and Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
As a six-time Republican winner in a city dominated by Democratic and unaffiliated voters, Stewart believes she can do something other conservatives have not had success with — winning over urban voters.
“It’s a problem we’ve had before,” she said.
The key, she said, will be for Republicans to unify behind a candidate like Democrats do. And if she doesn’t end up running or being nominated, Stewart said she’ll help whomever is doing just that, especially in securing the urban vote.
Stewart is the first of several rumored to be interested in a run to make that interest known to the wider public.
Ben Proto, chairman of the state Republican Party, said Monday that he hasn’t spoken yet with Stewart about a run but that he supports her decision to make inquiries.
“I think if it’s something she’s thinking about, she’s doing the right thing,” said Proto, who added that he expected a number of Republicans to come forward to run by 2025.
Bob Stefanowski, the Republican nominee in the last two elections for governor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On the Democrat side, Gov. Ned Lamont has not announced whether he will run for a third term. His lieutenant governor, Susan Bysiewicz, is believed to be interested in replacing Lamont if he doesn’t. Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, now a lecturer at Yale University, is also a potential candidate for the Democratic nod.
State Comptroller Sean Scanlon said Monday that he is focused on working with Lamont every day to find ways to further strengthen the state’s economic turnaround and make Connecticut more affordable.
“I’ve seen up close how impactful the job can be and, should the governor decide not to run again, it’s something I would strongly consider if I thought it was the best way for me to help build on the progress we’ve made,” Scanlon said.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is also a potential candidate for the state’s top job, though he has not revealed any formal plans, either.
On the home front, Stewart said this term will be a continuation of the previous five terms of changing the face and the perception of New Britain as a downtrodden city to an upcoming one through improving housing, infrastructure, quality of life, and attracting development, including 400 to 500 units of housing for a variety of incomes over the next few years.
“New Britain has always been a blue-collar city and we take pride in that, so I believe it is critical to provide housing options that are affordable for residents of all different income levels,” she said.
Those efforts include the long-awaited total renovation of the Mount Pleasant housing project that will result in 251 new units of affordable housing to those who currently live there. The $200 million project will be completed with transitional housing while new units are being built, and current residents will have the first option to stay. The five-phase project will break ground later this year and take five to seven years to complete.
Other projects include the completion this year of the Brit and Highrailer upscale sister apartment buildings downtown; construction of the Strand, a downtown apartment complex being built on the parking lot where the Strand Theater once stood; the continuation of redevelopment of 321 Ellis St., which will become 154 units of senior and affordable housing; and the redevelopment of the old St. Thomas Aquinas High School site into 11 new single-family homes.
Stewart said the city will also continue its renovation of multiple schools with a $70 million project at Holmes Elementary School; a $3.2 million project to improve John Downey Drive that will include repaving and narrowing to reduce speeds, new sidewalks, and a paved multi-use trail; and a $20 million Department of Public Works project.