The 2026 Connecticut governor’s race has its first Democrat—and it’s not the incumbent.
It’s state Rep. Josh Elliott of Hamden, who’s been critical of some of the more conservative stances of Gov. Ned Lamont.
Lamont says he’ll wait until fall to declare whether he’ll run for a third term and says he welcomes the competition.
Elliott says, as governor, he’d be a progressive alternative who would work to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for education, infrastructure and more, a tactic Lamont has rejected.
“As long as our tax structure punishes those who work and rewards those who accumulate,” said Elliott at a launch event at Hamden Town Hall, “we will not build the future that we deserve.”
He says his campaign will focus on family financial challenges, much like the successful New York City primary campaign of Zohran Mamdani:
“The fact is, when he talks about what he ran on, it was affordability. You can be somebody who talks about affordability but be unwilling to actually invest in what it takes for time, money and resources. I’m somebody who’s been fighting for the last decade to make sure that Connecticut is affordable for everybody.
Elliott, 40, joined the state House in 2017 and has become a leader of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. He is single and was accompanied at the launch event by his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Lepore.
Sen. Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) is endorsing Elliott. Like other progressives, Anwar was disappointed by recent Lamont vetoes on an affordable housing bill and compensation for striking workers. He says someone else would be better suited to handle to challenge of draconian budget cuts issued by President Trump.
“This moment is not being met by the governor,” said Anwar. “He’s actually completely dis-aligned with the needs of the community. That’s very painful, but it’s a reality… We need leadership that’s going to meet this moment, and Josh provides us that.”