2023 CT election updates: Ganim declares victory over Gomes in Bridgeport mayoral race
Voting has concluded for Tuesday's general election in Connecticut. Although there are no federal or statewide races on the ballot this year, residents had the chance to make decisions on municipal leadership. Check back here for results, which are expected to trickle in hours — if not, days — after Election Day.
Ganim declares victory over Gomes in mayoral race, absentee ballots a factor once again
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim has declared victory in the race against opponent John Gomes.
Gomes was leading Ganim by 564 votes when they began to count the absentee ballots. Ganim received 1,166 absentee votes, while Gomes received 429, giving Ganim the victory by 176 votes. The results were reported by Bridgeport election officials, and are unofficial.
In remarks to his supporters, Ganim called for Gomes to give up. He said he has beaten him twice. Gomes says he will continue to fight on.
Because Ganim appears to have won the vote tonight, there will now be a do-over primary in the next few weeks. If Gomes wins that, then there will be a second general election.
Elicker calls out his opponent for campaign tactics
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, who won reelection by a wide margin according to the AP tonight, called out his opponent for their campaign tactics.
Elicker did not mention which specific candidate he was referring to. “The competitor that we were facing in this election used rhetoric that divided our city, misrepresented so much, so many truths about our city, scapegoated the people that are most vulnerable in our community,” Elicker said.
“And New Haven in an overwhelming way said this is something we stand for in our city. And that is why we crushed it tonight with almost 80% of the vote,” he added.
Tom Goldenberg was the Republican nominee. Wendy Hamilton petitioned her way onto the ballot.
Two city council members arrested at the polls
Two Bridgeport city council members have been arrested at a Bridgeport polling place.
Bridgeport Police say Councilwoman Maria Pereira from the 138th District was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 70-year-old woman at the John F. Kennedy School.
Councilwoman Samia Suliman, also from the 138th District was arrested in an unrelated incident at the school for "breaching the peace."
Mayoral challenger John Gomes is ahead at the polls, awaiting absentee ballot results
Bridgeport mayoral challenger John Gomes says he has amassed more votes than incumbent mayor Joe Ganim at the polls, and that he is now waiting on the results of the absentee ballots.
“And what we are doing now, again, is we’re waiting for the results of the absentee ballot to hopefully, and we praying to God, to once and for all say we are victorious,” Gomes said.
Absentee ballots have long been a point of contention in Bridgeport. After the mayoral primary in September, accusations of ballot stuffing led to a court case between Gomes and Ganim in which a judge invalidated the results of the primary.
Mayor Joe Ganim addresses supporters, says a long night is ahead
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim addressed supporters at his campaign headquarters and said it is going to be a long night, as absentee ballots need to be counted to determine the outcome of Tuesday's voting.
With 46% of the votes counted, he is trailing independent John Gomes by approximately 350 votes.
If Ganim wins the count tonight, a new Democratic primary will be held within the next few weeks. If Gomes wins, he will be elected mayor.
The Associated Press says it will not call the race until all legal challenges are settled.
Democrat Arunan Arulampalam elected mayor
Democrat Arunan Arulampalam has been elected mayor of Hartford.
The political novice defeated a slate of five other candidates, including Republican Michael McGarry.
Mayor Michael Passero has been reelected to his third term
New London Mayor Michael Passero has been reelected to his third, four-year term in office.
Passero defeated Republican Beloved Carter and Green Party candidate Leon Richard Long. Democrats have also retained control of the city council.
“The low voter turnout just sent a message that the people are satisfied with how the city is going," Passero said. "You know if they’re sitting home happy with how it’s going and try as I might I could not get the vote out like I did in the last two elections, but we’re fine. I think the margins show that we’re still doing a great job.”
Voters passed ballot measure that allows alders and mayors to serve four-year terms
New Haven voters have passed a ballot measure to allow alders and mayors to serve for four years instead of two years per term, according to a source close to the mayor.
Mayor Justin Elicker, who was elected for his third term tonight, supported the ballot measure.
“We deserve efficient and effective government,” Elicker told WSHU last week. “And the reality is that two-year terms means that we're constantly in an election cycle. Elections are important. But having elections so frequently means that there's oftentimes negativity by a lot of different candidates that I have to focus on, and I spend a lot of my time on getting reelected rather than on the work at hand.”
The city charter will be revised in 2027.
Incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker has been reelected
The Associated Press has called the New Haven mayoral race.
New Haven incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker (D) has been reelected.
He will begin his third term in January. He is expected to speak to the media this evening.
His challengers in the general election were Thomas Goldenberg, who was endorsed by the GOP and the Independent Party, and Wendy Hamilton, who petitioned her way onto the ballot.
Less than 45 minutes after the polls in New Haven closed, Goldenberg conceded the election to Elicker.
“We ran an unconventional campaign,” Goldenberg said. He’s a life-long Democrat, and originally ran on the Democratic ticket until he approached Republican endorsers. “I put my heart into it, and I’m proud of what we did.”
Mayoral candidate John Gomes awaits results at watch party
John Gomes is holding his election night watch party at Bridgeport’s Cape Verdean Association. (Gomes is from Cape Verde Islands)
Supporters are starting to arrive — some fellow Cape Verdeans and members of the club, who have brought their families and children to watch the results.
It’s an unusual election night — if Gomes loses tonight, he still has at least one more chance to win the election, because of the ruling in a court case sparked by alleged absentee ballot stuffing in the mayoral primary.
CT Secretary of the State holds final briefing for Election Day after polls close
Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas held her final briefing for Election Day after the polls closed at 8 p.m.
Thomas said many towns in the state have reported over 50% turnout.
In Bridgeport, she said the CT State Elections Enforcement Commission received two complaints. The first for a mayoral candidate that was electioneering within the 75 foot zone around a polling place, and the second for a city council candidate who drove a voter to a curbside voting location, but didn’t exit the vehicle.
She also reported that a polling station in Danbury temporarily lost power. Thomas said the state received about 100 calls regarding voting issues, which she said is normal for an election this size.