WESTPORT – Citing affordability and making the state more business-friendly as her top two issues, Republican Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker is the first candidate of either party to announce their intentions to run for governor in 2026.
Three Republicans – New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, Matt Corey and Peter Lumaj – have all formed exploratory committees and will make an announcement on whether to actually run for governor at a later date.
Tooker, who was in the insurance and reinsurance business for more than two decades, is serving in her first term as the town’s first selectwoman. She has served in four different capacities in town politics, winning four of four elections in dark-blue Westport.
Tooker, who describes herself as socially moderate and fiscally conservative, said she’s seen in her town, and by hearing the concerns of residents throughout the state, that affordability is an issue that needs to be tackled head on.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont has said he’d announce whether to seek a third four-year term for governor sometime in June.
First off, the 55-year-old Tooker said, tackling affordability can only be addressed by looking at the state government. Specifically, she said, the amount of raises state employees have received in recent years.
“We have given a 33 percent wage increase to state employees since 2019,” said Tooker, who also served on the town’s Board of Education, Board of Finance and as Second Selectwoman. “There is nobody in the private sector that has seen that sort of wage increase in the past six years.” Pressed on what amount of a wage increase during that time period would be acceptable, Tooker said she’d be fine with increases in the 15 to 20 percent range.
Tooker said Lamont is partly to blame for the 33 percent wage increases over the past six years.
If elected, Tooker said: “I’m going to take a hard look at roles, skillsets, effectiveness and efficiency of state employees.” Asked if that could include layoffs, she said: “Who knows. We need to make sure that the state government is working for our residents and that our residents aren’t working for the state government.”
Tooker – who was raised in Texas and has lived in Westport for 17 years – also said the state’s utility rates, among the highest in the country, were out of control. “We need to increase supply. Nuclear and natural gas are the only ways to bring costs down and that’s non-negotiable. If anybody tells you something differently, they are not telling you the truth.”
Tooker, who says she has a history of working across the aisle and compromising where necessary, said she’s heard from business owners in her town, specifically, about the red tape and bureaucracy that comes with trying to open a business.
“It’s very hard to start a business. It’s expensive and it’s not business-friendly,” Tooker said. Asked what she would do on Day 1, if elected governor, to make the state more business-friendly, she said she’d eliminate fees, such as registration and licensing fees. Those are hurdles for many businesses, especially smaller ones, she said..
Tooker said she’s most proud of the infrastructure improvements in the town in the three plus years she’s been first selectwoman.
Specifically, Tooker pointed to Long Lots Elementary School which, she said, her administration – along with the town’s Building Committee – have made a lot of progress on. Shovels, she said, will be in the ground later this year and the $100 million project should be completed sometime in 2028. The project is expected to be paid via town bonds and state funding.
Asked to comment on the job that the governor is doing, Tooker said: “I think Ned is a nice guy, but I do think he’d made some decisions that have not been in the best interest of the taxpayers.” She noted the 33 percent increase in wages for state workers as a prime example, adding, “We continue to have one of the highest tax burdens in the country; we have high utility rates; and I think we have a sluggish economy.”
Lamont’s office referred all comments to Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, also state Democratic Party Chair.
In a statement sent Friday to CT Examiner, Alves wrote: “Ned Lamont has been a strong and decisive leader since taking office. He managed the state through the chaotic days of the coronavirus pandemic and his fiscal discipline on the state budget has created the most robust Rainy Day Fund in state history. [Lamont has also] delivered tax cuts that have made our state affordable for families and businesses.”
Tooker said she wrote in the name of former Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley when she voted for president last year. With regard to President Donald Trump, Tooker said she disagrees with his position on tariffs and Ukraine but, she said, “He has gone to Washington and really shaken things up. I agree with him on some things and don’t agree with him on other things.”
Tooker has received some pushback from some Democrats on the town’s RTM, specifically related to transparency and working with downtown merchants regarding parking. Some Democrats have said she has not listened to the merchants’ concerns.
In response, Tooker said: “Everything we do, we do at public meetings.” She said there have been “dozens” of meetings with downtown business leaders where feedback has been collected on how to best deal with the lack of parking and to ease concerns of business leaders.
“I think our merchants are incredibly important,” she said. “Do we always agree? Nobody ever always agrees.”