The 2018 Connecticut gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and

lieutenant governor of Connecticut The following is a list of lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut. Lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut, 1776–present Notes References ;Constitutions * * * ;Specific External linksOfficial website of the L ...

, concurrently with the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

of Connecticut's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. This race's Democratic margin of victory was the closest to the national average of 3.1 points. (It was 0.1 point more Democratic.) As Connecticut does not have gubernatorial term limits, incumbent Democratic Governor

Dannel Malloy Dannel Patrick Malloy (; born July 21, 1955) is an American politician, who served as the 88th governor of Connecticut from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Democratic Governors Association from 2016 to 2017. On July ...

was eligible to run for a third term, but declined to do so. After the resignation of Kansas Governor

Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Fr ...

in January 2018, Malloy became the most unpopular governor in the United States. The general election was between

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee and businessman

Ned Lamont Edward Miner Lamont Jr. (born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 89th governor of Connecticut. He has served in this position since January 9, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwi ...

, and Republican businessman

Bob Stefanowski Robert Vincent Stefanowski (born May 21, 1962) is an American business executive and politician. Born and raised in North Haven, Connecticut, he is a former business executive of General Electric, 3i Group plc, UBS, and Dollar Financial Group. ...

. Independent candidate and former Republican

Oz Griebel Richard Nelson "Oz" Griebel (June 21, 1949 – July 29, 2020) was an American banker, lawyer, and political candidate. He ran as a Republican primary candidate in the 2010 Connecticut gubernatorial election, and as an independent in the 2018 gub ...

has been called a

spoiler candidate Vote splitting is an electoral effect in which the distribution of votes among multiple similar candidates reduces the chance of winning for any of the similar candidates, and increases the chance of winning for a dissimilar candidate. Vote spl ...

for Stefanowski, earning 3.89% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Governor

Democratic nominee

, businessman, former

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

Selectman, nominee for the U.S. Senate in

and candidate for Governor of Connecticut in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

(endorsed by the state party)

Lost the Democratic primary

Joe Ganim Joseph Peter Ganim (born October 21, 1959) is an American Democratic politician, former attorney, and convicted felon who is currently serving as the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was elected mayor of the city six times serving from 199 ...

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

and nominee for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Withdrew prior to the Democratic primary

Dan Drew Daniel Drew (1863 – 8 July 1923) was an Irish hurler. His championship career with the Cork senior team lasted from 1890 until 1892. Born in Aghabullogue, County Cork in 1863, Drew was the second child and only son born to Con and Nora Dr ...

, Mayor of Middletown *

Jonathan Harris Jonathan Harris (born Jonathan Daniel Charasuchin, November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002) was an American character actor whose career included more than 500 television and film appearances, as well as voiceovers. Two of his best-known roles we ...

, former mayor of

West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...

and former Connecticut State Senator (endorsed Lamont) *

Susan Bysiewicz Susan Bysiewicz ( ; born September 29, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who is the 109th lieutenant governor of Connecticut, serving since January 9, 2019. She previously served as the 72nd secretary of the state of Connecticut from 1 ...

Secretary of the State of Connecticut The secretary of the State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Connecticut. (The definite article is part of the legal job title.) It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four ...

from 1999 to 2011 and candidate for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

(running for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut; endorsed Lamont) * Sean Connolly, former state commissioner for Veterans' Affairs (endorsed Lamont) * Guy L. Smith, businessman

Declined

* Dita Bhargava, former hedge fund manager and former vice chair of the

Democratic Party of Connecticut The Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee (CT Dems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Connecticut. Its chair is Nancy DiNardo. Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature, all constitutional state off ...

(ran for Treasurer of Connecticut) *

Luke Bronin Luke Aaron Bronin (born June 30, 1979) is an American politician and lawyer who is the 67th and current Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, since January 1, 2016. He previously served as general counsel for the Governor of Connecticut, Connecticut ...

, Mayor of

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

since 2015 * Joe Courtney, U.S. Representative since 2007 (ran for reelection) *

Elizabeth Esty Elizabeth Esty (née Henderson; born August 25, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from from 2013 to 2019. A Democrat, she previously was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, represen ...

, U.S. Representative since 2013 (retiring) *

Toni Harp Toni Nathaniel Harp (born August 6, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 50th Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut. Harp, a Democrat, was previously a state senator in Connecticut from 1993 to 2013. A resident of New Haven, Harp represente ...

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

since 2013 (endorsed Lamont) *

Jim Himes James Andrew Himes (born July 5, 1966) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the New Democrat Coalition in the 115th Congress (2017–2019). Him ...

, U.S. Representative since 2009 (ran for reelection) *

George Jepsen George Christian Jepsen
December 17, 1989, ''The New York Times'' (born N ...

Attorney General of Connecticut The Connecticut Attorney General is the state attorney general of Connecticut. The Attorney General is elected to a four-year term. According to state statute, eligibility for the office requires being "an attorney at law of at least ten years' ...

since 2011 (retired) *

Edward M. Kennedy Jr. Edward Moore Kennedy Jr. (born September 26, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a partner at Epstein Becker & Green, a firm headquartered in New York City, and previously represented Connecticut's 12th State Senate district in the ...

, state senator and member of the

Kennedy family The Kennedy family is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy be ...

(retired) *

Kevin Lembo Kevin P. Lembo (born September 6, 1963) is a Democratic elected official who served as the Connecticut State Comptroller, the statewide elected official responsible for reporting on state finances, administering health care plans for public empl ...

, State Comptroller of Connecticut since 2011 (ran for reelection) *

Martin Looney Martin M. Looney (born July 23, 1948) is an American politician. Looney, a Democrat, has been a state senator from Connecticut since 1993. From 2003 to 2014, Looney served as Majority Leader of the Senate; in 2015 he became President Pro Tempore o ...

, state senator, president pro tempore of the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

Dan Malloy Dannel Patrick Malloy (; born July 21, 1955) is an American politician, who served as the 88th governor of Connecticut from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Democratic Governors Association from 2016 to 2017. On July ...

, Governor of Connecticut since 2011 (retired) * Rudy Marconi, Ridgefield First Selectman * Chris Mattei, attorney and former federal prosecutor (ran for attorney general) *

Nancy Wyman Nancy S. Wyman (born April 21, 1946) is an American Democratic Party politician who was the 108th lieutenant governor of Connecticut, from 2011 to 2019. She was state comptroller of Connecticut from 1995 to 2011, and was the first woman elect ...

, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut since 2011 (retired) *

John Larson John Barry Larson (born July 22, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for since 1999. The district is based in the state capital, Hartford. A member of the Democratic Party, Larson chaired the Hous ...

, U.S. Representative since 1999 (ran for reelection; endorsed Lamont)

Primary endorsements

Results

Lieutenant Governor

Democratic nominee

, former

and candidate for the

(endorsed by the state party)

Lost the Democratic primary

* Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, activist

Withdrew

Liz Linehan Liz Linehan is an American politician serving as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 103rd district. She assumed office in 2017. Early life and education Linehan was born and raised in Cheshire, Connecticut. She earn ...

, state representative * Drew Marzullo,

Selectman *

Charlie Stallworth Charlie Stallworth (born August 5, 1964) is an American politician who served in the Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legisl ...

, state representative

Results

Republican primary

Governor

Republican nominee

, businessman

Endorsed by the state party; lost the Republican primary

Mark Boughton Mark D. Boughton (born February 20, 1964) is an American politician who was the longest-serving mayor in Danbury, Connecticut's history. He served ten consecutive terms as mayor, from 2001 to 2020. He was the Republican endorsed candidate for go ...

, Mayor of

Danbury Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, nominee for

and candidate for governor in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

(endorsed by the state party)

Lost the Republican primary

* Tim Herbst, former First Selectman of Trumbull and nominee for state treasurer in

* Stephen A. Obsitnik, businessman and nominee for CT-04 in 2012 * David Stemerman, businessman

Eliminated at Convention

* Mike Handler, Stamford Director of Administration * Mark Lauretti, Mayor of

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire *Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire *Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfor ...

and candidate for governor and lieutenant governor in

(endorsed Stefanowski) * Peter Lumaj, attorney and nominee for secretary of state in 2014 (endorsed Stefanowski) * Prasad Srinivasan, state representative (endorsed Herbst) * David M. Walker, former

United States Comptroller General The Comptroller General of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office (GAO, formerly known as the General Accounting Office), a legislative branch, legislative-branch agency established by United States Congress, Co ...

and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2014 (endorsed Stefanowski)

Withdrew prior to the Convention

Erin Stewart Erin Elizabeth Stewart (born May 4, 1987) is an American politician and the 40th Mayor of New Britain, Connecticut. Stewart is the daughter of former Mayor of New Britain Tim Stewart, who served from 2003 to 2011. She was elected to her first term ...

, Mayor of

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

(ran for

) * Joe Visconti, former

Councilman and independent candidate for governor in 2014 (ran for

) * Peter Thalheim, attorney and builder

Declined

Toni Boucher Antonietta "Toni" Boucher is a United States politician in Connecticut. She was a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Connecticut State Senate representing the Connecticut's 26th State Senate district, 26th District and p ...

, state senator *

Len Fasano Len Fasano (born May 15, 1958) is a Republican member of the Connecticut Senate, representing the 34th District since 2003. Fasano was sworn in as Senate Republican President Pro Tempore in January 2017. Under the new leadership role Senator Fasa ...

, state senator, president pro tempore of the

* Rob Kane, Auditor of Public Accounts and former state senator *

Themis Klarides Themis Klarides (born August 3, 1965) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Connecticut. She served in the Connecticut House of Representatives, serving as House Minority Leader from 2015 through 2021. In that position, she was ...

, Minority Leader of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

* Joe Markley, state senator (running for

) *

Tom Foley Thomas Stephen Foley (March 6, 1929 – October 18, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Foley represent ...

, former

U.S. Ambassador to Ireland The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassa ...

and nominee for governor in

and

* Tony Hwang, state senator *

John P. McKinney John P. McKinney is a former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Connecticut Senate, representing the 28th district from 1999 until 2015, and served as its Minority Leader from June 2007 until 2014. He was a candidate for ...

, former state senator and candidate for governor in

Convention

The Republican statewide nominating convention was held May 11–12, 2018 at

Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more t ...

Ledyard, Connecticut Ledyard is a New England town, Town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a American Revolutio ...

. Under the rules established by the convention, any candidate not receiving at least eight percent of the vote would be eliminated in the first round of voting. In the second round of voting, candidates not receiving 15 percent of the vote would be eliminated. In all subsequent rounds of voting, the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated, regardless of percentage. Voting would continue until one candidate receives 50 percent plus one of all votes cast.

Results at the Convention

Primary endorsements

Polling

Results

Lieutenant Governor

Republican nominee

* Joe Markley, state senator

Lost the Republican primary

* Jayme Stevenson, Darien First Selectman *

, Mayor of

Withdrew

* Ann Brookes, attorney * Peter Tesei, Greenwich First Selectman

Endorsements

Results

Independent

Candidates

Declared

, businessman and Republican candidate for governor in

**Running mate: Monte Frank, former president of the

Connecticut Bar Association The Connecticut State Bar Association (CBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Connecticut. History The CBA was founded on June 2, 1875. In 1878, members of CBA met in Saratoga Springs, New York, to lead in founding the national ba ...

Declined

Joe Scarborough Charles Joseph Scarborough (; born April 9, 1963) is an American television host, attorney, political commentator, and former politician who is the co-host of '' Morning Joe'' on MSNBC with his wife Mika Brzezinski. He previously hosted ''Scarbo ...

, television personality and former Republican U.S. Representative from Florida

Withdrew

* Micah Welintukonis, former

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

town councilman and army veteran

Endorsements

General election

Endorsements

Debates

Predictions

Polling

;with Ned Lamont and Mark Boughton ;with Ned Lamont and Erin Stewart ;with Susan Bysiewicz and Erin Stewart ;with Susan Bysiewicz and Mark Boughton ;with generic Democrat and Republican

Results

References

External links

Candidates
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

Candidates
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

;Debates
GOP Primary Debate, December 6, 2017GOP Primary Debate, January 10, 2018GOP Primary Debate, February 21, 2018
;Official gubernatorial campaign websites
Oz Griebel (I) for GovernorRod Hanscomb (L) for GovernorNed Lamont (D) for GovernorBob Stefanowski (R) for Governor
;Official lieutenant gubernatorial campaign websites
Susan Bysiewicz (D) for Lieutenant GovernorJoe Markley (R) for Lieutenant Governor
{{2018 United States elections

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Democratic primary

Governor

Democratic nominee

Lost the Democratic primary

Withdrew prior to the Democratic primary

Declined

Primary endorsements

Results

Lieutenant Governor

Democratic nominee

Lost the Democratic primary

Withdrew

Results

Republican primary

Governor

Republican nominee

Endorsed by the state party; lost the Republican primary

Lost the Republican primary

Eliminated at Convention

Withdrew prior to the Convention

Declined

Convention

Results at the Convention

Primary endorsements

Polling

Results

Lieutenant Governor

Republican nominee

Lost the Republican primary

Withdrew

Endorsements

Results

Independent

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Withdrew

Endorsements

General election

Endorsements

Debates

Predictions

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links