Lamont declares victory, Stefanowski concedes in race for Connecticut governor

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - Incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont declared victory Tuesday night in his re-election bid for Connecticut governor.

His Republican challenger, Bob Stefanowski conceded on Wednesday morning.

The Associated Press called the race in favor of Lamont with 93 percent of precincts reporting as of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. At that point, he garnered 55 percent of the vote.

Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz participated in a news conference at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday:

Lamont addressed supporters in Hartford after his declaration:

Connecticut Democrats issued out a statement:

It was a good day for Connecticut Democrats. They won all the statewide races and every congressional district except for the 5th, which is still too close to call.

Governor Ned Lamont won his second term.

It’s been a long campaign, and this is now the second time Republican Bob Stefanowski has lost to Lamont.

It was also a long night. The governor’s race wasn’t called until almost midnight.

Lamont and the rest of the Democratic team who won their races said the issues they are fighting for are important to voters.

Women’s reproductive rights were on the ballot this year in many states, along with inflation and taxes.

There have been contentious races all across the country.

“I see a lot of friction, a lot of edginess across the country when it comes to elections. Not in Connecticut and when the election is over we come back together, we come as one and we work together. That’s why Connecticut is in a better position than it’s been in many a year,” said Lamont.

Lamont said Stefanowski called him this morning to concede. So did Independent candidate Rob Hotaling.

Stefanowski addressed his supporters in Trumbull around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

“We’re going to wait and see this thing to the finish line. We’re gonna win this race overnight and I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning,” Stefanowski said.

In 2018, Lamont ran against Stefanowski and won with 49 percent of the vote compared to Stefanowski’s 46 percent.

Things were different this time around. The state endured a pandemic that affected pretty much every facet of how people live their lives and refocused a lot of voters’ priorities.

The big issue for a lot of voters now is the economy, a topic which came up in a debate last week.

Lamont camp

Lamont was all over the state on Tuesday. He spent much of the morning in Fairfield County. Channel 3 caught up with him in Stamford at a polling place.

One of the strategies for Republicans has been trying to get out the vote in some of the state’s larger cities, where Democrats usually have a stronghold.

Lamont said he’s not concerned about that. He felt voters in cities like Bridgeport, Waterbury and Hartford will support him.

Recent polls showed Lamont with a comfortable lead, and the governor said he was hoping for a good turnout.

“[At] long last it’s Election Day. Those TV ads will be off soon. I am feeling good, you know why? Because people are voting. I love the fact that people know their vote makes a difference here in this election and across the country don’t take the vote for granted make it count,” said Lamont.

Stefanowski camp

Stefanowski said he felt great about things. He added that he was more confident in his campaign this year as opposed to four years ago.

Wednesday morning, he thanked everyone who supported his campaign.

He gave a campaign update from Trumbull Tuesday evening:

Channel 3 asked Stefanowski what’s different about his campaign this year compared to 2018.

He said he ran a much broader campaign. He added that last time, he was more nervous and uptight and this time he was more relaxed.

Stefanowski ran his campaign on a few primary issues.

He said Connecticut has been too expensive and that he would make it more affordable.

He added that if he was elected governor, he would help bring crime rates down.

Stefanowski cast his ballot around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Polson Middle School in Madison.

He spent the day visiting various polling locations where he thought the race would be closest.

Those towns included Milford, Bristol, Manchester and Newington.

“There’s been a shift towards some of the values in our party, over the last three four months,” Stefanowski said. “Security, parental rights, affordability. All those things work in our favor, and I think we’ve got the right message for the right time.”

Hotaling camp

Hotaling also issued a concession statement on Wednesday morning.

Earlier in the year, Stefanowski lost a bid to keep Hotaling off the ballot.

Lamont appeared on the Democratic line, the Working Families party line and the “Griebel Frank for CT” line on the ballot.

Stefanowski appeared on the Republican line.

Hotaling was on the Independent line.

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