Democratic Party voters across Connecticut will decide if Gov. Ned Lamont will advance to November's general election in his effort to win a historic third term in office, and those in the state's First Congressional District will decide if incumbent John Larson's name won't appear on the November ballot for the first time in 30 years. Republicans in the Fourth and Fifth Congressional districts will choose nominees who will attempt to dislodge longtime incumbents Jim Himes and Jahana Hayes from their seats.
Here are the Connecticut party primary races for governor, U.S. House and the Connecticut General Assembly concluding on Election Day, Tues., Aug. 11. Candidates are listed in order of appearance on ballot. Polls will be open between 6 am and 8 pm.
*party-endorsed
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
GOVERNOR:
Ned Lamont*, incumbent, seeking 3rd term
Josh Elliott, current state rep., 88th District
Winner will face Republican nominee Ryan Fazio.
The candidates on state income tax:
Elliott: “The top 45-hundred income earners in our state pay less than eight percent of their income to state and local taxes. The neediest in our state, the 1.2 million at the bottom—a third of our state—pay over 20 percent. This is the system we’ve become accustomed to. It’s also deeply unfair.”
Lamont: “Y’know, Josh has said, ‘Let’s raise taxes (on the wealthy).’ I’d say, let’s not go back to where we were ten of fifteen years ago… They raised taxes three times in a row, and it resulted in deficit upon deficit.”
U.S. HOUSE — 1ST DISTRICT (parts of Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex counties including Hartford, East Hartford, West Hartford, Manchester, Torrington, Bristol):
Luke Bronin*, former 2-term Mayor of Hartford
Ruth Fortune, member, Hartford Board of Ed.
Jillian Gilchrest, current state rep., 18th District
John Larson, incumbent, seeking 15th term
Winner will face Republican Amy Chai.
The candidates on Larson’s bill to strengthen Social Security:
Bronin: “The congressman (Larson) has introduced the same bill every year. And, not only did it not become law, it did not get out of his own committee, when he chaired the committee, and when Democrats had everything.”
Larson (on arrangements with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries): “It’ll be one of the first bills taken up. We addressed that very subject, and said it will be one of the first bills taken up in the 100 Days… that we will put Social Security in place, and pay for it.”
Gilchrest (to Larson): “28 years in Congress, and you’re the champion of Social Security, and we’re 6 years away from insolvency? I’d say that that’s a failure.”
Fortune: “A new perspective to the same fight can move it forward. No one expected that I would be standing on this stage today, no one thought that we could get thousands of people to sign a petition and get on the ballot. Yet, we did it.”
STATE SENATE – 2ND DISTRICT (Bloomfield, Hartford, Windsor):
Maryam Khan*, current state rep., 5th District
Douglas McCrory, incumbent, seeking 6th term
Ayana Taylor, president, Windsor Board of Ed.
Winner will face Republican Tim Knotts.
McCrory (on investigations of McCrory, state funds and nonprofits. McCrory denies wrongdoing): “Not one person has brought that up to me. But you know what they have brought up to me? ‘My taxes are too high, can you get ‘em down? I’m sick of this Eversource bill, it’s just too high. Can you help me? I live on fixed income. I want an opportunity for my child to get a better education… continue to fight for us.’”
Khan and Taylor did not respond to requests for comment.
STATE SENATE – 13th DISTRICT (Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown, Cheshire):
Jack Fazzino*, current state rep., 83rd District
Jim Jinks, vice chair, Cheshire Town Council
There is no Republican candidate for November’s general election
Both candidates spoke of the importance of defending immigrants from aggressive ICE tactics:
Fazzino: “If you are someone who works hard and wants to contribute, I believe there is a place for you. Unfortunately, right now, you see that across the country… that American dream is diminishing.”
Jinks: “I certainly do support anything we can do to protect our residents. Obviously, it’s beyond the bounds here to be picking up people off the streets. They’re grabbing people who are American citizens. So, I support what the governor has been doing.”
STATE HOUSE – 4TH DISTRICT (Hartford):
Julio Concepcion*, incumbent, seeking 5th term
Venice Sotomayor, entrepreneur
There is no Republican candidate for November’s general election.
In a dispute over the validity of voter petition forms, the state Supreme Court ruled for Sotomayor, keeping her name on the ballot.
STATE HOUSE - 10th DISTRICT (East Hartford):
Angie Parkinson*, member, East Hartford Town Council
Tyron Harris, chair, East Hartford Board of Ed.
The winner will face Republican Chris Tierinni in November.
STATE HOUSE - 31st DISTRICT (Glastonbury):
Moise "Moses" Carelus*, former h.s. science teacher, youth soccer coach
Anthony DiLizia, member, Glastonbury Town Council
Incumbent state Rep. Jill Barry is not on the primary ballot.
Republican Susan Dzialo is in the November race.
STATE HOUSE - 58th DISTRICT (Enfield—Sept. 1):
John P. Santanella*, incumbent, seeking 2nd term
Thomas Tyler, attorney
In a dispute over the validity of voter petition forms, the state Supreme Court ruled for Tyler, restoring his name to the ballot. The primary will be held Sept. 1, 2026.
STATE HOUSE - 92ND DISTRICT (New Haven):
Patricia A. Dillon*, incumbent, seeking 22nd term
Justin M. Farmer, former member, Hamden Legislative Council
Eli Sabin, former member, New Haven Board of Alders
STATE HOUSE - 97th DISTRICT (New Haven):
Leland Moore*, member, New Haven Board of Alders
Wildaliz Bermudez, exec. director, New Haven Fair Rent Commission
The winner will face Republican Kimberly DeMayo.
STATE HOUSE - 118th DISTRICT (Milford):
Toni Lombardi*, member, Milford Board of Aldermen
Christopher Saley, Milford public works director
Republican Steve Visconti is in the November race.
REPUBLICAN PARTY
U.S. HOUSE – 4TH DISTRICT (Fairfield County, parts of New Haven County):
Michael Goldstein*, physician, attorney
Daniel Miressi, youth hockey coach
The winner will face Democratic incumbent Jim Himes.
On their opponent:
Goldstein: “Certainly there are huge differences in experience and skill sets (between him and Miressi). Party support. The ideas that I have resonate well with people… So, it’s a combination of ideas, skill set, experience, support from collective Republican officials.”
Miressi: “(Goldstein’s candidacy is) something for his own vanity. If he gets elected, he’ll just represent the same old Republican talking points. He’s never met a bill with Israel in it he didn’t like. Overall, between him and Jim Himes, it’s the same old… it’s Greenwich and the country club versus everyone else in Connecticut."
U.S. HOUSE – 5TH DISTRICT (Litchfield, Fairfield, New Haven, Hartford counties):
Chris Shea*, firefighter, former Navy SEAL
Jonathan De Barros, youth mentor
The winner will face Democratic incumbent Jahana Hayes.
The candidates spoke to WTIC News last week:
GOP-endorsed Shea, a firefighter and former Navy SEAL, is reminding voters that De Barros spent 19 years in prison for a shooting that killed one young man and wounded another—although De Barros claimed self-defense and eventually received a pardon.
“There’s two people in the race,” says Shea. “One has the history, myself, of serving the country, serving my community… just a record of service, and he has a record of serving time.”
De Barros claims that Shea and the state Republican Party fear he might win the primary, so they’re going beyond reasonable bounds to take him down. He’s suing four party activists for what he calls a “smear campaign” at the state Republican convention, claiming they falsely referred to him as “a murderer.”
“They lied about me at the convention,” says De Barros, “to sway some of the delegate vote away from me, and I still ended up with 22 percent of the vote (enough to qualify for the primary).”
“They had no problem with me door-knocking for them, helping their candidates get elected, taking my money. But soon as I decided to be a candidate myself, everything that they say that the Democrats are going to do with me in the general election, they’re doing to me.”
STATE SENATE – 19TH DISTRICT (Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville, Norwich, Sprague):
Jason Guidone*, chair, Hebron Republican Committee
Mike France, former state rep.
The winner will face incumbent Democrat Cathy Osten in November. Guidone lost that matchup in 2024.
STATE HOUSE - 50th DISTRICT (Ashford, Brooklyn, Eastford, Hampton, Mansfield, Pomfret, Woodstock):
Jadon MacCormack*, former legislative staffer
Tony Emilio, small business owner
The winner will face incumbent Democrat Pat Boyd.
State Republican leaders recruited petitioning candidate Emilio after MacCormack made a series of homophobic statements.
STATE HOUSE - 71st DISTRICT (Middlebury, Waterbury)
Bill Pizzuto*, incumbent, seeking 3rd term
Mike Grosso, member, Waterbury Board of Aldermen
The winner will face Democrat Stephen Ferrucci in November.
