A Big Night for Connecticut’s Democrats

TORRINGTON — Republican Molly Spino won Tuesday’s election with more than 53% of the vote and will succeed Elinor Carbone as city mayor.

Spino secured 3,986 votes, defeating her Democratic opponent Stephen Ivain by more than 500 votes.

The election marked a test for the local Republican Party following 12 years of the Carbone administration, characterized by its focus on brownfield remediation and economic development initiatives.

Torrington recorded the highest increase in residential property values over the past five years, triggering a significant tax hike for some residents in 2025.

— Francisco Uranga

HAMDEN – Democrat Adam Sendroff defeated his young Republican challenger and two other candidates handily according to unofficial totals compiled late Tuesday.

With votes missing from District 5 but in unofficial totals for the town’s other eight districts, Sendroff won 2,571 votes, defeating 24-year-old Jonathan Katz (861 votes), Green Party candidate Patricia C. Vener-Saavedra (32 votes) and unaffiliated petitioning candidate Jameka A. Morrison-Jefferies (544).

Sendroff declared victory, although word from Katz’s campaign was not forthcoming as of midnight. A voting machine issue was blamed for the lack of totals for District 5, officials said.

Sendroff, who has spent more than 20 years serving Hamden as an elected official, department head, and volunteer, said the top job was a good fit for his experience.

Sendroff served on the school board for 10 years and as the town’s community development manager. He was also as chief of staff to former Mayor Curt Leng. Sendroff is an assistant manager at Whitsons School Nutrition, a division of Whitsons Culinary Group, where he helps manage the local public schools’ free and reduced-price meals program as the school’s food policy coordinator.

Katz tried to tie that service to the Leng administration’s record of financial instability, but Sendroff answered that he was there for only nine months before Leng’s term ended.

Republicans hoped that the heavy presence of Democrats on the ballot would open the way for Katz in this heavily Democrat-dominated town. They sought to capitalize on the financial woes of the administration of Mayor Lauren Garrett, who opted to not run for a third term, saying she wanted to spend time with her family.

This is the first election in Hamden for a four-year term for mayor and town clerk. Previous terms were for two years.

— Nick Sambides jr

EAST HADDAM — Republican Todd Gelston narrowly took the town’s top elected position Tuesday, defeating Democrat Tanya Bourgoin by less than five percentage points in a close race that kept the first selectman’s office in Republican hands.

Gelston, who sought the post after First Selectman Irene Haines opted not to run for re-election, won 1,619 votes — 52 percent of the ballots cast — in an election marked by strong turnout. Bourgoin drew support from 1,491 residents but fell short in her second consecutive bid for the office, having lost by a narrow margin in the last election as well.

The defeat leaves Bourgoin without a seat on the Board of Selectmen. Democrat Thomas Sevigny secured the second selectman position with 1,580 votes, while Republican Erik Dill claimed the third seat with 1,525 votes.

— Francisco Uranga

STRATFORD – Political neophyte Dr. David Chess has claimed an upset over incumbent Republican Mayor Laura Hoydick

Vote totals for Chess and Hoydick were not available, but the state Democratic Party declared a win and local Republican Party membership conceded the loss following the poll’s closure on Tuesday night.

Chess, who collected a war chest of about $120,000 for his campaign, said he probably won by more than 1,000 votes over Hoydick, and attributed the win to his campaign’s hard work and vision. Chess, a medical practice entrepreneur, said he knocked on more than 5,000 residents’ doors during his campaign.

“People are looking for change. They’re looking for authenticity. They’re looking for transparency. They’re looking for someone that they can trust,” Chess told CT Examiner. “That’s why I won. I’m someone that deeply cares. I have a vision for the town. I know how to execute visions. I’ve done this many times before. And I just see Stratford becoming a model of how a town transforms itself and becomes the best it can be. That’s what my goal is. It’s not halfway. And we swept.”

The Democrats said that they captured, maintained or expanded majorities on the Town Council, Board of Education and the Planning Board, but vote totals were not available as of midnight.

— Nick Sambides jr

DEEP RIVER — Democratic First Selectwoman Carol Jones won re-election on Tuesday by nearly 200 votes, more than 10 percentage points ahead of her Republican rival Kathryn Russell.

The outcome marked a contrast to the 2023 race, when Jones defeated Russell by just 21 votes. This time, the dynamics shifted with the entry of unaffiliated candidate Oswald Sheppard, who drew 18 percent of the vote.

In the race for the Board of Selectmen, Democrat Duane Gates was the top vote-getter, securing 1,087 votes — surpassing even Jones’ tally. Republican Cynthia Torres obtained the second selectman seat, finishing ahead of Russell. No unaffiliated candidates competed for selectman positions.

— Francisco Uranga

MANCHESTER, 10 p.m. — With a record 8,010 votes before counting absentee ballots, incumbent Democrat Jay Moran has declared victory in Manchester’s mayoral election.

Moran called it a sign that the people of Manchester wanted to move forward and make change.

“This is about moving forward,” Moran said. “This was a referendum on moving forward.” 

Moran has served as mayor since 2014, when it was an appointed position. In 2023, he was directly elected for the first time, running unopposed. Republican Zachary Reichelt, who sits on the Board of Directors, is his first challenger. 

In his victory speech at the Manchester Country Club, Moran thanked his family, those who worked on his campaign, the Democratic committee and the high school students who spent the day making over 10,000 phone calls. He also thanked the voters of Manchester. 

Moran vowed that the Democrats are “coming back.” He said that Enfield, Ansonia and Milford all went blue this election. 

“Blue is sweeping the state,” he said. “It’s a sign, we’re coming back.” 

Moran said everyone in Manchester deserves to live their best life in town. 

“And that’s why we get the numbers we get,” Moran said in his speech. “Because we are Manchester. We are Manchester 2025, and we’re taking us forward.”

Other election winners also spoke, including Alexandra Lamb, a University of Connecticut professor and board of education candidate, Kwasi Ntem-Mensah for board of education, Maria Cruz, Manchester’s first Latina town clerk, and Dennis Schain for the board of directors. 

Moran closed out the party repeating that the Democrats are coming back and moving Manchester forward. He said that his job is more than worth it, despite the small salary. 

“[Being mayor is] still the best $3,000 a year job in America,” he said.

— Mikayla Bunnell

NEW BRITAIN — Democratic Mayor-Elect Bobby Sanchez spoke to thunderous applause and more than 140 supporters following his decisive victory Tuesday over Republican Common Council Minority Leader Sharon Beloin-Saavedra.

Sanchez, currently a state representative, became emotional at times during his 15-minute speech in which he thanked his friends, campaign staff and said he wished his parents were alive to witness his victory.

“This campaign was all about the people of New Britain, and we want to make this city inclusive to everyone, not just a few,” the 64-year-old city native told his supporters at the downtown venue 5 Churches Brewing. “My slate was a phenomenal slate; you worked your butts off. The only thing I regret is that both my parents are not here today to see this, but they’re watching from up. They are watching the first Puerto Rican mayor in the history of the city.”

Sanchez defeated Beloin-Saavedra in almost all of the city’s 17 polling places, winning 4,130 to 3,176. As of presstime, the results from those who voted early were not available.

Republican Mayor Erin Stewart, who threw her support behind Beloin-Saavedra, opted not to run for a seventh two-year term in order to explore a run for governor.

Sanchez, who delivered some of his speech in Spanish, said he believed his campaign had a clear message to the voters.

“Our message to New Britain was clear,” he said in his speech. “People wanted change. Taxes are high. Affordability in New Britain; it doesn’t exist. And, so many individuals out there shared with us what they have been going through in the city in the past couple of years and with what’s been happening at the federal level, where so many people are being hurt today and trying to find food for their table…. The message was perfectly clear — no more Republicans. Let’s bring in the Democrats.”

Sanchez, as he did during his campaign, vowed in his victory speech to address the issue of affordability and the city’s schools immediately. “We are going to keep taxes down. We are going to make things affordable… We’re going to bring in affordable housing…”

Sanchez will be sworn in on Nov. 11 and his campaign staff said his transition team will be announced in the coming days.

Beloin-Saavedra gave her concession speech to her supporters soon after Sanchez spoke at the other end of the city. Beloin-Saavedra spoke at the Back Nine Tavern at the Stanley Golf Course.

“Unfortunately, I did not win. It upsets me greatly,” said Beloin-Saavedra, who thanked Stewart for her support on several occasions. “I felt that the team that we ran together through the RUD [Republicans, Unaffiliated and Democrats] caucus would have done a wonderful job for the city of New Britain.”

Beloin-Saavedra, who said she left Sanchez a congratulatory message, said she hopes Sanchez is successful because she wants New Britain to be a success.

“I offered him my serious wishes that he is successful because if he’s successful, New Britain is successful,” Beloin-Saavedra told her supporters. “It’s not about who the mayor is; it’s about moving the city forward.”

Noting the negative tone the mayor’s race took in the past few weeks, Beloin-Saavedra said: “I do believe that my loss this evening has to do with a [Republican] label and a smokescreen that was put forward [by Democrats].”

Beloin-Saavedra, who spent most of her life and career as a registered Democrat before changing political affiliations last year, said near the end of her speech that she would never leave New Britain adding: “I believe in democracy.”

— Robert Storace

NORWICH, 10:40 p.m. — Sitting at a table at These Guys Brewing Company, Republican candidate Councilwoman Stacy Gould was somber.

“I did the best I could,” Gould said. “I ran a good campaign. I didn’t do any shots below the belt – which I wouldn’t do, anyway.” 

With the tallies still unofficial, Gould accepted that the race was probably over. 

“We only have absentee ballots left, and those usually don’t swing Republican,” she said. 

Earlier in the day, Gould and Swarnjit reflected on their efforts to get their messages out to voters.

Petitioning candidate Marcia Wilbur said she also felt she was able to connect with voters.

“I don’t have a billboard,” Wilbur said, “but I speak to the people.” 

Gould also spoke her efforts to connect on a personal level.

“I did a Facebook post on my own page. And I said, ‘You know what? You want to reach me? Here’s my home telephone number. Call me.’ I had plenty of people call me,” Gould said. 

Singh said that he was proud of his voter outreach and that regardless of the result, he would be satisfied with his campaign. 

He said, “I feel good energy. I will not have any regrets – I’ve done anything and everything. And I’ve taken the high road on a lot of things as well and that’s all I can do.” 

Both candidates campaigned on the issues of affordability and an economic revival for Norwich. 

Gould stressed that this would be achieved through the lowering of taxes and the cutting of spending. 

“By lowering the taxes and growing the grant list, we’ll make Norwich more affordable,” Gould said. “I don’t know how else you can make it more affordable. I can’t tell landlords what to charge for rent.”  

This, in addition to the growth of small business and the return of manufacturing to the area, would ease Norwich’s affordability problems, Gould said. 

Swarnjit, too, campaigned on lower taxes and the return of manufacturing, but insisted that his campaign went beyond that.

“Like, you talk about higher taxes, but what is your game plan?” Swarnjit asked, referring to the strategies for Norwich his opponents had put forward in their campaigns. 

All of the candidates stressed that no matter who won, they would be willing to work across party lines to get things done for Norwich. 

“We have to collaborate and cooperate with each other to get things moving in the right direction,” Gould said. 

“The bottom line is we need to get the manufacturing companies back to Norwich,” Swarnjit said, “and I’m willing to work with anyone with the same thought process.”

“I’m a team player,” Wilbur said. “I’ll work with whoever wants to work to make things better.” 

— Charlotte Harvey

MYSTIC – The atmosphere was lively at the Jealous Monk and became even livelier when Bill Middleton walked in. It was a little after 9 p.m. the crowd, made up of supporters and many members of the local Democratic Party, applauded when Middleton arrived from Town Hall, some of them raising their beer mugs in a toast.

In a landslide win, Middletown secured the seat as First Selectman. Middleton who is unaffiliated and endorsed by the Democratic Party and Connecticut Forward Party took 4,075 votes, running against Republican Rob Emery who took 1,826 votes. 

Democrat Deb Norman, who ran alongside Middleton, earned 3,937 votes and claimed selectman and Republican Bryan Bentz garnered 1,897 votes securing the selectman position. 

Middleton, a Mystic resident of more than 30 years and a businessman who owns several restaurants in Mystic including the Jealous Monk, succeeds Danielle Cheesebrough who has held the position since 2019 and did not run this election.  

Middleton thanked voters and said he’s “looking forward to going into a smooth transition and keeping up the momentum.” 

His top priorities, he said, included completing the boathouse. He said he is also ready to tackle the budget, with planning starting in the new year.  

“It’s going to be mostly kind of keeping the course and trying to keep the mill rate down,” said Middleton. 

He attributed the win in part to this name recognition and professional experience in running businesses and sitting on a wide variety of boards including the Board of Police Commissioners and Mystic Aquarium.

“People look for relevant experience,” he said. 

Middleton said he looked forward to working with Norman and Bentz. 

“I think between the three of us we have a really broad skill set,” he said, noting for example Bentz’s “deep technology background.” 

Of the victory Norman said she was “very excited and happy to get to work.” Norman said she thought the team dynamic would carry over positively to their work in office.

“I think we work very well together, we bring complimentary skills,” said Norman who owns Grand & Water Antiques and spent six years on the Board of Finance and sits on boards of various nonprofits in the community.

State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner D-Groton, who attended the watch party at the Jealous Monk, called the win was a “testament to the hard work and dedication to this wonderful Democratic slate.” Over the campaign he came to get to know Middleton and Norman and said he’s excited and “ready to work collaboratively and roll up my sleeves” with the new team. 

“They’re ready to hit the ground running from day one,” Bumgardner said. 

The Democratic Party endorsed Middleton and Norman. In this election the Democrats, all 14 candidates, swept local races including the Board of Education, Board of Assessment Appeals and Constables. 

James Kading, chair of the Stonington Democratic Town Committee, attributed the success to stepped up door-knocking and phone-banking efforts in August and ramped up voter outreach in the final month. He also linked some of the local success to frustration on a national level.

“It’s a dissatisfaction at a national level with what’s going on with the government and with the Republicans. I think that helped us,” Kading said. 

Stonington votes
At the close of the polls, there were a total of 14,474 registered voters. Of these there were 6,007 voters, 1,481 early voters, 185 absentee ballots were returned, and 23 same day registration were received. 
In 2025, Stonington had 14,458 voters including 2,993 Republicans, 5,041 Democrats and 6,206 unaffiliated, according to the registrar of voters.

— Amy Wu

EAST LYME — Local Democrats declared a sweeping victory, after winning the first selectman seat and solidifying a majority on the local Board of Selectmen in the 2025 municipal election. 

Local Democrats cheered at The Lyme Tavern as they declared a “blue sweep” around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday.  

Democrats told CT Examiner that they won every seat on the slate. Official election results have not yet verified this claim prior to publication. 

As unofficial results trickled in on Tuesday night, members of the local Democratic Party congregated around a white board with scribbled election results — the mood of the room all night was anxious, but hopeful. 

Incumbent First Selectman Dan Cunningham won the first ever four-year-term seat as the town’s chief executive officer. Deputy First Selectwoman Ann Cicchiello won a four-year term on the Board of Selectmen. Selectman Jason Deeble and Democratic candidate Cindy Collins won two-year seats on the board.  

In a victory speech, Cunningham noted that it’s the first time in a long time that a Democrat had won a second term as first selectman in East Lyme. 

“We did it,” declared Cunningham. “People came out. They stood for democracy, and the values we cherish.” 

Cunningham said an important part of Tuesday’s vote was dismay with Washington, DC.

“I am hopeful that the small municipal elections like ours will send a message and begin the road to build back normalcy and compassion and empathy in our country,” he said. 

Cunningham thanked town residents, his family, who was in attendance for Tuesday’s victory party, and members of the Democratic Town Committee. 

“We’re going to start tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll be back in the office first thing in the morning. We’re going to start working towards the next four years.”

Asked about what tomorrow entails, Cunningham told CT Examiner that he’ll be signing a contract for an evaluation of the old Police station, push to make more town meetings accessible to the public from home, like the Water and Sewer Commission and the Board of Police Commissioners, and host town meetings for residents to give feedback to their elected officials. 

Around 10 p.m. members of the local Republican Party, including first selectman candidate Anne Santoro, arrived at Lyme Tavern and spoke with local Democrats. 

In the 2023 election, the race between Santoro and Cunningham was decided by 93 votes. Preliminary results for the 2025 election show Cunningham holding a larger lead. 

In the hour before polls closed on Tuesday, voters continued to trickle into polling stations. 

Members of both parties told CT Examiner around 7:30 p.m. that they believed the election could go either way. 

Cunningham even showed CT Examiner that he prepared two speeches for Tuesday’s results. A losing speech with a frowny face drawn on it, and a winning speech with a happy face drawn on it. 

“I didn’t have to use the losing speech,” Cunningham remarked. 

Republican Selectwoman Candice Carlson was voted to serve a four-year term on the Board of Selectmen. Long-time Selectwoman Rose Anne Hardy was chosen to serve a two year term. 

Democrats won several other seats in town government, including Bob Curry, who was elected as the town treasurer on Tuesday. 

“It’s just wonderful,” Deeble said about the election results.

— Ally LeMaster

NEW HAVEN, 9:40 p.m. — Incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker celebrated a sweeping re-election victory tonight, securing about 84 percent of the vote as of 9:40 p.m. Supporters packed Da Legna at Nolo, a popular restaurant in New Haven, where Elicker and his team were met with cheers and applause as they entered the room.

Elicker thanked his supporters for their work throughout the campaign, reminding the crowd that his win was the result of a collective effort.

“As everyone in this room knows, we do not do this work alone — it’s not one person that gets us across the finish line. We do this work together,” he said, prompting the crowd to chant “together” in unison.

Calling the results “a resounding victory,” New Haven Democratic Party Chair Vinny Mauro Jr. pegged voter turnout at around 23 percent, a low figure, but an improvement from previous elections.

Elicker later called his wife and daughters to the podium, thanking them for their support throughout what he described as a challenging but meaningful campaign. 

He told the crowd that the night’s results were about more than just local politics.

“Let’s be clear — this election is about the work we are doing in New Haven, but it’s also about making a national statement,” he said.

Highlighting his administration’s accomplishments, Elicker pointed to a significant drop in violent crime and ongoing efforts to tackle housing issues.

“In the last decade, we’ve seen the lowest number of shooting incidents — though there’s still more work to do,” he said. “We’re building affordable housing to confront homelessness and the housing crisis head-on, and we’re leading the state in building permits.”

As Elicker’s speech turned to national politics, the crowd grew louder. “When Donald Trump attacks our immigrant community, what do we do?” he asked, prompting a thunderous response from supporters who shouted back, “We fight back!”

— Hannah Freshman

NEW BRITAIN — Local Democrats came home as State Rep. Bobby Sanchez was elected the city’s 41st mayor Tuesday evening defeating Common Council Minority Leader Sharon Beloin-Saavedra by an unofficial vote count of 4,130 to 3,176.

As of presstime, early vote totals were not available.

Registered Democrats in the city outnumber registered Republicans by almost 3-1.

It was the first time in 12 years that a Democrat will hold the city’s top job as six-term Republican incumbent Mayor Erin Stewart opted against another term in order to form an exploratory committee for governor.

New Britain Democrats also won every seat available to them on the Common Council and Board of Education under the city’s minority representation rule. Democrats expanded their 8-7 council majority to 10-5 with the election on Tuesday.

— Robert Storace

OLD LYME — The vote count lasted an hour and a half and left several people confused when it concluded. 

“Who won?” someone in the small crowd gathered at Town Hall asked as moderators finished reading the tallies from Election Day ballots, absentee votes, early voting and same-day registration.

Murmurs rippled through the room.

“She [Martha Shoemaker] won,” said Jude Read, the Republican selectwoman candidate seeking reelection. “Congratulations.”

Shoemaker was not in the room, which was filled largely with Republican candidates. They departed once the results became clear.

The same-day count, announced shortly after 8 p.m., showed Republican first selectman candidate John Mesham leading by roughly 200 votes.

The final tally was 1,904 votes for Shoemaker and 1,784 for Mesham, a margin of just over 3 percentage points, with turnout exceeding that of 2023.

With this result, the new Board of Selectmen will be led by Shoemaker, with Democrat Jim Lampos and Mesham joining the board in the minority.

“I am extremely excited and I know Jim is as well to serve the people of Old Lyme for another two years. And we look forward to moving continued projects through,” Shoemaker said. “We’ll have John on board and hopefully the three of us will be able to do wonderful things for Old Lyme.”

Shoemaker mentioned the sewer project and the Grassy Hill Bridge among the key challenges facing the town in the coming years.

“Every day there’s a new adventure here in town,” Shoemaker said. “Tree falls, a road flood, we’ll deal with them as they come up.”

Democrat Kimberly Thompson and Republican David Kelsey were also elected to the Board of Finance for full terms, and Democrat Candace A. Fuchs was elected to complete a two-year term in the same board.

Democrat Michael Fogliano defeated Sloan Danenhower for a seat on the Zoning Commission in what was also expected to be a close race.

— Francisco Uranga

BRIDGEPORT, 10 p.m. —

LYME, 10 p.m. — Unofficial results are in and suggest a strong night for local Democrats

STAMFORD, 9:15 p.m. — Democratic Mayor Caroline Simmons appears well on her way to winning re-election.

Current vote tallies show her leading with 12,483 votes. Republican challenger Nicola Tarzia trails with 5,543. The three write-in candidates show a combined total of 228 votes.

Democratic Town Clerk candidate David Hoak appears to be riding her coattails to a resounding victory as well. He leads Republican Gerald Bosak, 9,760 to 5,903. Incumbent Town Clerk Lyda Ruijter, seeking re-election as an Independent, trails a distant third with 2,711 votes.

In the race for three seats on the Board of Education, Democrat Jennifer Werely is leading with 14,521 votes. The second seat remains neck-and-neck with Democrat Adam Vandervoort barely leading incumbent Michael Hyman, the current board president, 11,554 to 11,500.

The race for the third Board of Education seat, which must go to a Republican, could be headed to a photo finish as well with Kris O’Brien currently leading Dennis LoDolce, 6,811 to 6,682.

The above vote totals include early voting and absentee ballots.

— Eric Obernauer

NEW HAVEN, 8:20 PM — The polls are closed across Connecticut, and votes are slowly being counted across New Haven’s wards. As of 8:57 PM, incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker is leading the race with just over 12,000 votes, while Republican challenger Steve Orosco trails with 1,673 votes.

Despite the wide margin, Orosco said he remained confident in his campaign. “I’m always optimistic, but I’m also a realist,” he said. “No matter what, I’m coming back in 2027, especially if it’s close.”

He spent the day visiting polling locations throughout the city, speaking directly with residents, and listening to their concerns.

Orosco’s campaign focused heavily on holding large institutions accountable, particularly Yale University. “The city is being cannibalized by one singular institution that’s supposed to care about the people in the city,” he said. “If we provide them city services, they should be providing us a lot more. Most people are sick and tired of it. You can’t own half the city and not pay taxes—it’s not sustainable.”

He also spoke bluntly about voter behavior and the city’s political history.

“New Haven’s a failed city. Everybody knows that. The problem is people have been voting blue ever since 1953. What happens is your leaders become complacent. They don’t have to work for you anymore,” Orosco said. 

He didn’t hold back on criticizing voters themselves.

“I also fault the voters for that, too. For example, if you live in Kentucky, and everyone’s been voting Republican since 1953, and everyone’s in a trailer park, addicted to meth, high poverty rates, poor education like New Haven, I would say vote all those Republicans out and vote a whole slate of Democrats in. Now the Republicans have to work for your vote.”

Orosco also took aim at current leadership, arguing that accessibility and personal engagement are key for a mayor. “A leader of the people is the most important thing … It’s how you make people feel. And only Mayor Elicker, he’s not a personal person. His office is closed, he’s not accessible, and people don’t like that. He’s also afraid to walk the streets,” he said.

While early returns suggest a resounding victory for Elicker, with over 84% of votes counted in his favor, Orosco celebrated the night with supporters at Armada Brewing in New Haven, emphasizing that he will continue to be involved in the community.

“The next two years, it’s my job to act like a deputy mayor, almost, and stay involved in the community,” he said, noting that he hopes to prepare for the 2027 election, when the mayoral term expands to four years.

— Hannah Freshman

EAST LYME, 9:30 — Democrats claim sweeping victory at the polls. More to come

OLD LYME, 9:30 — Democrat Martha Shoemaker wins in a strong showing by local Democrats, who also took seats on Zoning, Planning and other boards. More to come

MANCHESTER, 9:00 p.m. — Incumbent Mayor Jay Moran, a Democrat, is the first mayor in Manchester’s history to receive 8,000 votes. 

Moran teared up as he heard the news. He finished the night with 8,010 votes, not including some absentee ballots. 

Reichelt ended the night with 3,707 votes. 

A packed Manchester Country Club was full of cheers as the rest of the races were announced. Democrats swept every race they competed in.

— Mikayla Bunnell

NORTH HAVEN – After losing a campaign for a Board of Finance seat about five years ago by a mere 27 votes, attorney and town firefighter David Cohen is giving politics another chance, said his wife Kim.

Cohen, a Democrat, is running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. Kim Cohen stood outside Ridge Road Elementary School holding a sign and passing out campaign stickers to voters. She said she felt confident that this election would be the one.

She expressed pride and love for him mingled with a kind of watchful trepidation and protectiveness that comes with beginning a life in local politics.

“I think it’s trying not to take on and internalize everything that is happening in the changes that you go through when you decide to become a public figure because it does impact the family,” Cohen said. “Even though David can really flow with that and that is his persona and he is wonderful at meeting people and engaging with people and wants to have dialogue with people regardless of where they stand.”

“He is always one for dialogue and he is a parent in that way too. Every time our children are dealing with something, he really wants to talk things through, very much so, so that my children are also very reflective,” she added. “What’s hard for me as a spouse is that it becomes part of our lives and when there’s a negative campaign or taunting against him, I feel that… It’s hard. It’s hard.”

David Cohen shows every sign of success, so far. The North Haven Democratic Town Committee endorsed him with a unanimous vote – 65-0. Cohen drew 72% of the vote in a party primary in September, while his opponent drew 27%, she said.

Cohen has had a lot of success already, his wife said. He owns a gym in town, is an attorney for a corporation in Wallingford, and was a teacher in Oakland, California. “He’s a little bit of everything,” Kim Cohen said.

But she still remembers the sting of the 27-vote loss, and she doesn’t want to go through it again, she said.

“But again, we learned a lot from it. And also, every loss has put him in a position to be here today,” Kim Cohen said. “He’s always said that it’s always like being fired from a job or losing a job and then having something wonderful and even better come along.”

If he wins.

— Nick Sambides jr

NORWICH, 9:00 p.m. — As the last numbers came in, Councilman Singh Swarnjit’s family and supporters erupted in celebration. 

A hard fought battle appeared to be ending in dramatic fashion with unofficial tallies showing Swarnjit with 2458 votes and his competitor Stacy Gould with 2250. 

“That’s a margin I can live with,” Swarnjit said. 

Early numbers showed a tight race.

“Am I confident? I’m always confident,” Swarnjit said. 

Swarnjit, a Democrat, looks to take the top seat in city government after three consecutive wins by Republican Peter Nystrom. He shook the hands of those in the room. He’ll be the first Sikh mayor in Connecticut history.

“On a personal level, I could have lived with anything. But this election was so important to so many people who had so much hope,” Swarnjit said.

HAMDEN, 8:10 p.m. – Petitioning candidates usually have the least chance of getting elected, but don’t tell Jameka A. Morrison-Jefferies.

The 50-year-old Morrison-Jefferies is running for mayor as an unaffiliated petitioning candidate, meaning that she has no party endorsements, funding or other backing. A real estate broker who owns Diamond Realty Partners LLC., Morrison-Jefferies had 30 volunteers around Hamden doing election work on Tuesday, said Kimberly Griffith-Artis, a 43-year-old marketer and owner of Kimberly Consulting Marketing Media Management.

Still a member of the Democratic Party, Morrison-Jefferies is running in a somewhat crowded field. Democrat Adam Sendroff is seen as the favorite in this Democrat-dominant municipality against Republican challenger Jonathan Katz, Green Party candidate Patricia C. Vener-Saavedra and Morrison-Jefferies.

Morrison-Jefferies predicted she’d win, saying that she had been campaigning since February. Her top issue: the instability of town finances, which she said has many residents, especially seniors, afraid that ever-increasing taxes will force them to sell and leave them homeless.

“For me it was about the need for the people to have true advocacy and someone to fight for them. The town did not listen to them, I mean they haven’t been transparent. No one’s taken responsibility for anything and there’s no accountability for anything,” Morrison said.

Although she has no prior political experience as an elected official, Morrison said that she has attended every Legislative Council meeting and believes that town leaders are “purposely not informing the public as to our current fiscal situation.”

Morrison-Jefferies has the kind of financial intelligence that Hamden needs, Griffith-Artis said.

“She understands the economy. She understands how to move things around. She’s an accomplished businesswoman,” Griffith-Artis said. “Jamika is a go-getter. One thing I know about Jamika is the things that she says she’s going to do, she really truly works hard to do. Just to listen to her speak motivates me because she’s not talking about what she’s going to do, but she already started trying to make moves and connections.”

— Nick Sambides Jr.

EAST HADDAM, 7 p.m. — Democrat Tanya Bourgoin is seeking a rematch this year as a candidate for first selectwoman after losing by less than 5 percentage points in 2023.

By 7 p.m., more than 2,200 voters had cast ballots, with long lines still snaking through the Municipal Office Complex gymnasium. Combined with nearly 700 early and mail-in votes, the numbers suggested turnout would be close to the previous election.

“I expect that it will be because of the high turnout, and at a minimum, it would be a very clear picture of what the people in town want to see for their future,” Bourgoins said.

Bourgoin said she was uncertain what drove voter participation this year, though she noted the town had been considering installing speed cameras, an issue that had generated considerable discussion among residents.

“I don’t have an answer to that,” Bourgoin said. “I want to tell you it’s because of the great effort I put in to getting everyone out to come out and vote, but I don’t know.”

Republican First Selectwoman Irene Haines did not seek reelection. Todd Gelston ran in her place.

Gelston and Selectman Erik Dill, seeking reelection, stood with a large group of Republican volunteers and candidates around a party tent.

Approached by CT Examiner, Dill requested personal identification from the reporter and the Republican candidates declined to speak.

— Francisco Uranga

GREENWICH, 7:15 p.m. — On paper, the big contest in Greenwich this year is between Republican First Selectman Fred Camillo, who is seeking another four-year term, and Democratic challenger Anthony Moor.

But the race that could have the most lasting impact on the town may be further down the ballot for the Board of Estimate and Taxation.

Earlier this year, the BET voted along party lines to trim a requested $12 million, or 5.1%, increase in the school budget down to $8 million, or 3.5%. The board’s Republican chair cast the tie-breaking vote, leaving the school district with an overall budget of $247 million.

The decision sparked sharp recriminations. Democrats accused Republicans of leaving key programs including early childhood education at risk of harmful cuts. Republicans countered that Democrats were demagoguing the issue, arguing that Greenwich spends too much on overhead and administration – and more than three times as much on early childhood education as nearby Darien despite having only twice as many students.

Under the town charter, it was left to the Board of Education to decide how to allocate the reduced funding and determine which programs or services might be affected.

At the heart of the debate is a familiar divide: those worried about affordability, rising spending and property taxes versus those who believe Greenwich’s schools should remain a top community priority.

At the Julian Curtiss School on Tuesday evening, voters weighed in as they arrived after work to cast their ballots.

Aakash Patel, seeking reelection to the 230-member Representative Town Meeting, said he firmly falls into the latter camp. Patel, a technology investor who grew up in rural Missouri, said Greenwich’s public schools were one of the main reasons he chose to move to town.

“Our public education needs to be adequately funded. It’s the reason people like me come to Greenwich,” Patel said.

Michael Gaudiano, also running for reelection to the RTM, said he agrees that education should be a top priority.

The 27-year-old banker has three children ages 3 to 7, including two attending Julian Curtiss in kindergarten and second grade. “Our kids are our future. What we put into the school system is what we get out of it,” Gaudiano said.

But Gaudiano added that spending must be efficient as well.

Gaudiano also pushed back on proposals to sell the Board of Education’s Havemeyer Building. While open to ideas for repurposing it, “the town is not for sale,” he said.

— Eric Obernauer

GROTON, 7 p.m. – At the local Democratic Party headquarters at the Boiler Makers Union Hall, volunteers continued phone banking, fueled by pizza, Pepsi and chocolate. “It’s a long day its election day you expect it to be long,” said Janet Labrecque, a Groton resident and volunteer who had been phone banking since 10 a.m. By 7 p.m., she said she had made at least 300 calls.

She said there were many who had already voted early.

“It’s election day and the polls open until 8 p.m. and we are asking every Democrat to vote. Reminder to vote,” said Natalie Burfoot Billing, the chair of the Groton Democratic Town Committee, into a phone.

Callers reminded residents to vote, thanked those who had voted, and at times drove them to the polls.

The calls also aimed to educate.

“There was a voter registered unaffiliated and she asked can I vote in this election she wasn’t sure if she could go vote,” said Billing. “They thought it was a primary.”

Labrecque said she was pleasantly surprised by the senior citizens she connected with over the phone.

“They had a lot of enthusiasm and had gone out to vote and were eager for the results. It was nice to hear them be enthusiastic and this is a local election where we don’t usually get a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “There’s a lot of energy out there,” she said.

–Amy Wu 

BOLTON, 6:45 p.m. — The town has had an almost 50% turnout this election cycle. The polls opened with 339 early votes — 172 Democrats, 60 Republicans, 104 unaffiliated voters and three third-party voters 

Early vote numbers were significantly short of last year’s presidential election, the Democratic Registrar said, but Bob Morra, former first selectmen, said the overall turnout was very good for an election with no “screaming issue.” 

“You never know what is driving the electorate,” Morra said. “If I could’ve figured that out, I would’ve made a fortune as a consultant.”

Voters continue to head to the polls, after a rush at about 6:45 p.m., with just over an hour left before the polls close. Voters have been trickling in slowly since then.

— Mikayla Bunnell

NEW LONDON — City Council candidates said they were hoping for a higher voter turnout in the evening. 

At about 2 p.m. at New London High School Multi- Magnet Campus, election moderators for District 1 told CT Examiner that voter turnout was higher than expected for the mid-afternoon, but they were still hoping for an afterwork rush of voters. 

Outside of polling station, City Councilor Akil Peck and Board of Education Candidate Nanci DeRobbio said there was a steady stream of voters throughout the day, especially given the lack of a mayoral race this year to drive voters to the polls.

“We had a primary here in the city for our city council,” Peck told CT Examiner. “ I think that kind of got people’s attention. I think we’re seeing the results of that.” 

Outside of the District 2 polling station, candidate Shineika Fareus was stationed in front of Harbor Elementary talking to voters. In between lulls, Fareus was pulling her phone out from her fanny pack, she said, to call some of her supporters to remind them to vote. 

“Turnout is lower than in the 2021 election,” she told CT Examiner, adding that she hoped it would pick back up around dinner time. 

Fareus said she was one of the highest vote-getters in the City Council primary, and that her community was energized for a new perspective in local government.

Fareus is just 27-years-old. 

Victoria Mueller, a city council candidate, had been standing outside at the polls on Election Day, she said, since 6 a.m. Mueller, who was appointed to the council, is running for a seat for the first time — an experience she referred to as “eye-opening.” 

Mueller, her supporters and friends were out waving signs as cars passed by. Her husband, Timothy Mueller, who stationed himself outside of a different polling station, told CT Examiner that he closed down his downtown business for the day to campaign for his wife. 

— Ally LeMaster

PAWCATUCK, 3 p.m. — Bill Middleton weathered a stiff breeze as he stood in front of the polling station at the Board of Education District Office holding a campaign sign.

With the voting hours ticking away, the candidate for Stonington’s first selectman and a newcomer to political races — this is his first time running for public office — said he was pushing for last-minute supporters. Middleton, who is unaffiliated and endorsed by the Democratic Party and Connecticut Forward Party, started out his day at various polling stations connecting with voters.

Some voters exiting or entering the polling station stopped to make conversation or wished him good luck. Voters of all ages, including those with young children in strollers, streamed in and out of polling station. Many voters were driven to the polls because they are frustrated with politics at the national level. This included David Champ, 75, registered unaffiliated, who made it a point to vote a straight ticket of Democrats locally.

Education was at top of the minds of many voters at the polls, including Emily Watrous, a preschool teacher who said she was worried about cuts in funding to education, especially in special education.

“The state of the country, it’s very divided now,” Waltrous said.

Others expressed concern about local issues including education, and the affects of development and tourism and the lack of parking.

Sandi and Gary Davis, longtime Pawcatuck residents, said they vote in all elections as their “civic duty and responsibility.” The couple said they researched local candidates online and through social media groups to learn more about their personal stories and key platforms.  

“Middleton is a restaurateur and he’s good about donating,” said Sandi Davis, a retired educator who is involved in volunteering for food donation. “I don’t know as much about the other candidate,” she said referring to Rob Emery who is the Republican candidate for first selectman.

By 4 p.m. the vote count for Stonington, which includes Pawcatuck, was 3,138 and 1,489 for early voting. In 2025, Stonington has 14,458 voters including 2,993 are republicans, 5,041 are Democrats and 6,206 are unaffiliated, according to the registrar of voters.

— Amy Wu

ANSONIA 4:07 p.m. — The new vote tabulations machines in use across the state leave election moderator Bev Tidmarsh feeling very comfortable that this year’s election results are safe and secure, she said.

Ansonia’s seven election wards all have the new DS-300 Digital Precinct Scanners as part of the second year of a statewide effort to upgrade election technology.  Ansonia got its machines this year, with the state’s larger municipalities getting the first round of purchases last year, she said.

“They keep a good total,” said Tidmarsh, who worked at the Mead School polling location. “We haven’t had any issues with them.”

The tabulators feature a popup screen that directs voters to slide the ballots into a feed slot, then reads out whether the vote was accepted as legible. Misfeeds or votes not clearly read are kicked out with a screen warning. Unlike the earlier models, the new machines require votes cast in ballpoint pens with black ink, not marker pends, she said.

The circles on the ballots are smaller because the machine can read them easier. The machine also seems more sensitive to ballots marked by double votes – votes errantly cast in two columns for the same office, Tidmarsh said.

As of 4:30 p.m., Mead had 466 votes cast out of the Ward 7’s 1,978 registered voters. Turnout was steady but low, typical of a non-presidential election year.

In Ansonia, Democrat Frank Tyszka was challenging incumbent Republican Mayor David Cassetti, who has argued with local Democrats over the management of town finances.

State Rep. Kara Rochelle drew criticism from Republican state legislators who tried at the close of the last legislative session to counter her bill calling for the Municipal Finance Advisory Commission, which advises financially troubled municipalities, to start monitoring city finances.

The city had fallen behind several years in complying with state laws requiring annual audits. Tyszka was running on a platform of “restoring integrity” to City Hall, while Cassetti countered that his financial management of the city had kept taxes low.

— Nick Sambides Jr.

DEEP RIVER 4:40 p.m. — Two years ago, Democrat Carol Jones defeated Republican Kathryn Russell by just 21 votes in an first selectman election that drew more than 1,700 voters.

This year, both candidates are running again, and turnout appears similarly robust. Combining early votes, absentee ballots and Tuesday’s tally, more than 1,500 votes had been cast by 4:40 p.m.

Democratic selectman candidate Duane Gates, who has served for a decade, was cautiously optimistic Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s been a big turnout. I feel good,” Gates said at the entrance to the Deep River Public Library. “But you can never count your chickens before they hatch.”

Gates said his focus remained local and sought to minimize the influence of federal politics on the race.

“The way I look at it, I don’t care what’s happening on a national level,” Gates said. “I’ve been born and raised here. I’ve lived here for 62 years. I care about Deep River and I say I’m not a Democrat, I’m not a Republican. I’m a D-R for Deep River.”

The participation of Oswald Sheppard, running as an unaffiliated candidate, could be decisive in this year’s results.

“I think it’s time for Deep River to have an unaffiliated candidate that’s focused on local issues and not federal issues,” said Sheppard, who previously consulted twice for Russell’s campaign. This is his first run for elected office.

“Obviously, any candidate’s goal is to win,” Sheppard said. “But we had the closest elections [last time], and this election is probably going to be closer and more difficult to call ahead of time than any we’ve ever had before in this town.”

Russell said that two years ago, she mounted a competitive campaign that caught Democrats off guard.

“I think we’re better prepared this time,” Russell said.

The three parties’ gazebos stood side by side in a cordial atmosphere. Russell noted that she had worked constructively on the Board of Selectmen for two years.

“You can’t stab them in the back one day and then work together for the town,” Russell said.

— Francisco Uranga

NEWINGTON 5:40 p.m. — Newington Democratic Mayor Jon Trister and Newington Republican Board of Education candidate Jason Hipp stood about 20 feet apart at the Ruth Chaffee Elementary School polling location late Tuesday afternoon, both expressing optimism while waiting for the polls to close.

Around 4:45 p.m. Hipp was the only GOP candidate looking for voters, while Trister had a contingent of about 10. Noting the big names that came out to support Trister earlier — including Gov. Ned Lamont, Deputy Majority Senate Leader Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, and the town’s local Democratic delegation — Hipp said: “It’s going to be an uphill battle; all you can do is try. This is a blue state after all.”

Registered Democrats in Newington outnumber registered Republicans by almost 2-1.

Still, Hipp — who spent six hours Tuesday at three area polling places — said he believes Tim Manke, the town’s GOP mayoral candidate, has a shot at winning.

“He has a lot of brand recognition,” Hipp said. “He’s very humble and the thing about Tim is that when I go door-knocking people say they know Tim from the Boy Scouts [where he is a scoutmaster] or from his time on the council. I’m riding his coattails.”

Hipp said a few people he spoke to Tuesday talked about national politics, as most of them were concerned that Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani could win Tuesday night as mayor of New York City.

“They are very concerned about the outcome,” he said.

Trister, on the other hand, said national politics has been the top issue for many voters he’s come across Tuesday.

“I’ve heard a lot about national politics,” the mayor said. “A lot of [President Donald] Trump stuff. There are a lot of angry Democrats out there. This is the first time they have to make their voices heard since last fall’s presidential election. It’s the most I’ve ever heard about national issues being brought up in a municipal election.”

Trister visited all six of the town’s polling places Tuesday.

“I’m feeling very confident. I’m feeling good,” he said.

— Robert Storace

WILLINGTON 5:30 p.m. — According to Willington’s website, as of 5:35 p.m., 44.42% of eligible voters have turned out for election day. 18 of these were absentee votes and 363 were early votes. Michelle Doucette Cunningham, a member of the town Democratic committee, is happy to hear these numbers.

“I think there’s been fabulous turnout today,” she said. “I think early voting has been a huge success and I’m really happy to see that we’ve got so many people out early this year. That makes me feel optimistic about democracy, when so many people care enough to come out to vote.”

Ann Grosjean, a Democratic candidate for board of education, says that this there has been great turnout for this municipal election.

“We’ve had great turnout today for a municipal election. Usually, if it’s presidential, you expect a lot, but we really have had very good turnout,” she said. 

“This feels like a presidential year,” Doucette Cunningham agreed, motioning to the steady stream of voters walking by and the full parking lot. “Granted, good weather helps.”

— Mikayla Bunnell

HAMDEN 5 p.m. — On Election Day, Hamden voters are not just choosing their next mayor, they are deciding who will guide the town through its first four-year mayoral term, a change from the previous two-year term that marks a historic shift in local governance.

At the center of the race are two lifelong residents, Democrat Adam Sendroff, a seasoned public servant with decades of experience in Hamden government and community organizations, and Republican Jonathan Katz, a 24-year-old political newcomer determined to bring a fresh, fiscally focused perspective to Town Hall.

Both candidates say they are running because they believe Hamden needs strong leadership that prioritizes residents’ needs. Sendroff is motivated by a desire to protect families from rising property taxes and ensure the town’s governance is accountable and effective. Katz says he wants to restore public confidence in local government, tackling financial instability and promoting transparency, regardless of party politics.

While four candidates appear on the ballot, Sendroff and Katz have emerged as the two with the most momentum and name recognition, making them the central figures of this year’s mayoral race.

For Sendroff, who has spent more than 20 years serving Hamden as an elected official, department head, and volunteer, the decision to run for mayor was personal.

“I chose to run out of concern for the future of the town,” Sendroff said Tuesday morning outside the Hamden Board of Education before casting his ballot. “My family’s been here for many generations, and Hamden’s given a lot to my family in terms of opportunity. I want to make sure that every other generation here now and in the future has similar opportunities and aren’t driven out of town by high property taxes or feel left behind by the government in any way.”

Sendroff emphasized that the next mayor must set clear priorities and have the experience to carry them out. “The mayor needs to set the agenda and follow through on initiatives,” he said. “I believe I’m the only candidate with that experience, with over 20 years in the corporate world and more than 20 years of public service in Hamden.”

Fiscal stability and transparency remain central to Sendroff’s platform. He called for a fully staffed finance department, completed audits, and open communication between residents and town officials.

“Everything needs to be done in the open,” Sendroff said. “You need to have a very collaborative mentality and partnership with the legislative council and the various boards and commissions.”

Sendroff entered the race as a petitioning candidate rather than the endorsed Democrat, knocking on thousands of doors to earn his place on the ballot and eventually winning the September primary.

Katz, a lifelong Hamden resident, said he didn’t initially plan to run for mayor, the idea came from residents themselves.

“I spoke at a budget meeting back in April, just to make my voice heard,” he recalled. “Afterward, people kept coming up to me: ‘Are you running for mayor? Are you running for mayor?’ That’s when I realized they wanted someone with a fresh perspective.”

His decision to run was also driven by what he discovered while examining the town’s finances.

“I started looking into the town’s budget and was shocked by how taxpayer money was being handled,” Katz said. “There were funds sitting in accounts with no clear designation, and the town couldn’t fully explain where the money was going. Residents deserve transparency and accountability — that’s why I decided to step in.”

He said his campaign is focused on giving residents a real voice in town government.

“We’re implementing a community representative program so residents can participate directly in budget and hiring decisions,” Katz said. “People deserve to know where their money is going and to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.”

Katz highlighted the needs of his own neighborhood in the Third District, which he said has long been overlooked.

“For far too long, the Third District hasn’t received the same attention as other parts of town,” he said. “Historically low voter turnout has meant less focus from the town, but every resident’s tax dollars are just as valuable, and every district deserves the same investment and representation.”

He noted that his message has attracted support across party lines.

“I’ve had lifelong Democrats come up to me at polling stations and say, ‘I’ve voted Democrat my whole life, but I don’t feel represented anymore. I’m voting for you because you put people first.’ Residents want policies that focus on them, not politics.”

Katz also emphasized that his age allows him to bring a new generation of leadership to Hamden.

“I see my age as an advantage,” he said. “It means I’m not tied to the mistakes of the past, and I can focus fully on putting the people of Hamden first.”

Despite representing different parties and generations, both Sendroff and Katz stress that Hamden residents share common concerns. Each candidate has made restoring trust in government spending, ensuring accountability, and addressing long-term financial planning a central part of their campaign.

While Sendroff leans on decades of public service experience to navigate the town’s bureaucracy, Katz brings a fresh, business-minded perspective and emphasizes giving residents a direct voice in financial decisions. Their overlapping focus highlights that, across party lines, Hamden voters are united in wanting responsible, transparent leadership to guide the town through its first-ever four-year mayoral term.

— Hannah Freshman

STAMFORD 3:45 p.m. — Could Stamford be the exception that proves the rule?

Anecdotal reports from poll watchers suggest Election Day turnout in Stamford has been exceptionally high, in some places even surpassing last year’s presidential election, when turnout would normally peak.

The weather may be helping. But in a year when the shadow of President Donald Trump looms large over races across the state, early signs are that Stamford voters are bucking the trend, focused almost entirely on local issues.

The two big ones are the recently approved 10-year master plan and the rollout of a new block scheduling system at the city’s high schools, both of which have generated considerable backlash.

The marquee contest this year is the mayoral race, where Democratic incumbent Caroline Simmons faces Republican Nicola Tarzia and three write-in challengers — David Cherniack, Fritz Chery and Michael Loughran.

Several open Board of Education seats are also on the ballot, along with races for Town Clerk and the Board of Representatives.

The mix has produced some unusual alliances — Republicans holding signs for Democrats, Democrats turning out votes for Republicans, and unaffiliated voters splitting their support across party lines.

Among them was Christi Gephart, District 19 representative to Stamford’s Republican Town Committee, who stood outside the Long Ridge Fire Company polling station Tuesday afternoon drumming up last-minute support for Board of Education candidates Jennifer Werely, a Democrat, and Dennis LoDolce and Kris O’Brien, both Republicans. The three have also been endorsed by the Independent Party.

Rounding out the list of school board candidates are Democrats Michael Hyman, the current Board of Education president who is seeking reelection, and Adam Vandervoort.

“It’s probably rather unusual to have a Republican Town Committee member out here saying to vote the Independent line,” Gephart admitted, adding that she was doing so on her own initiative and not in her official capacity as a representative of the committee.

Not far away, District 19 Board of Representatives candidates Noah Lapine, a Democrat, and William Aron, a Republican, were out hobnobbing together while greeting voters and promoting their own campaigns. Also running in the district is Democrat John Pelliccia.

Lapine and Aron chatted amiably in the afternoon sun with write-in mayoral candidate Michael Loughran. Lapine said talking face to face has a way of humanizing politics.

Loughran, a longtime Democrat and retired Stamford police officer who launched his write-in campaign for mayor after falling short in his attempt to force a Democratic primary, said crossing party lines doesn’t bother him. Both of his parents were active in Stamford Democratic politics but often worked across party boundaries, he said.

“If another candidate from any party came along who I could believe in, I would’ve gladly stepped aside and supported their candidacy and gone back to a way of life that I really enjoy,” said Loughran, who is semi-retired and runs an airport shuttle service.

“I’m more loyal to my principles than to any party,” he said.

— Eric Obernauer

HAMDEN, 2:15 p.m. — Standing on the sidewalk at Ridge Hill Elementary School, Democrat Grace Teodosio had no idea whether she had won a seat on the Legislative Council, but she was sure of this much: win or lose, she would keep on pressing town leaders for answers.

The 37-year-old wife, mother, consumer researcher and business strategist said her interest in the town’s fiscal management practices led her to run for a 6th District seat.

As one of the founding moderators of the Facebook page Hamden Residents Unite, Teodosio has pushed Mayor Lauren Garrett’s administration and council members since March for financial data, asked pressing questions at council meetings, and filed several Freedom of Information requests for town government receipts and accounting spreadsheets.

“If I lose, I think people will have felt that they are really upset with the Democratic Party and they really want change. And I think we need to listen to that,” Teodosio said. “There’s no transparency financially. I think people don’t feel like leadership listens to them.”

Teodosio stood outside the polling place with Simone Sobers, daughter of Legislative Council member Rhonda Caldwell. Teodosio said Caldwell has served as a mentor and credited her with being the council’s effective analyst and investigator of town finances. Caldwell is running unopposed for her council seat this term.

“We became incredibly close through this process,” Teodosio said. “She was just so forthcoming about information. She shared the same frustrations, and she kind of felt like a lone wolf in some ways on that council. And partnering with her access to the insights and the information in her extremely broad municipal finance knowledge, it was a crash course for me educationally on that front.”

Teodosio said she became interested in town finances because her taxes have consistently risen since she and her husband David bought his childhood home about four years ago. It’s been frightening to get so little information out of town officials as to why it has been happening, she said.

“I think the average working-class person is feeling squeezed on both ends. Everything costs more. We’re under a lot of pressure,” Teodosio said. “And for better or worse, people really just want to be able to live their lives and have a good life for their family. And if they don’t feel like that’s happening, sometimes they blame people in office.”

“Sometimes it’s not the people in office’s fault, but the reality is, I think what I do and what I really hope more leaders do is at least explain why something’s happening,” she added.

Teodosio doesn’t mind admitting that she can be abrasive and seems to have no trouble faulting herself for the stances she has taken and for any enemies she has made.

“I’d rather have the truth than a nice lie,” Teodosio said, “but I think maybe I could have afforded people a little bit more empathy or benefit of the doubt in certain situations — definitely not all. And maybe it’s sometimes better to not say everything I think.”

— Nick Sambides Jr.

LYME, 3 p.m. — Republican Tom St. Louis and unaffiliated candidate Christy Zelek are facing off at the polls in an uncommon race for town first selectperson. Since 1999, the position has been contested only twice — in 2001 and 2017.

Turnout appeared to match interest in the race. With 570 votes cast through early voting and absentee ballots, and another 450 voters by about 3 p.m. Tuesday, more than half of eligible voters were expected to participate.

St. Louis, standing behind a table on the grass near the Town Hall parking lot, said he had observed strong voter engagement in the competitive election.

“I just think that people are cognizant and they’re willing to step up and come out and do their civic duty,” St. Louis said. “What we’re hearing is a great deal of appreciation. People may not agree with you, but at least you’re getting out and meeting them and talking to them about issues, and they appreciate that are important to them and important to this town.”

During door-to-door campaigning, St. Louis said, voters most frequently raised concerns about taxes, affordable housing and the impact of state legislation.

Mary Powell-St. Louis, running for selectwoman, also cited her role in preventing a music teacher position from being cut, which she said residents appreciated.

St. Louis described the campaign experience as rewarding.

“I really appreciated getting out and meeting so many different people, seeing some parts of town that I really hadn’t spent much time in,” St. Louis said. “I’m struck by the diversity of our population just in terms of backgrounds, engagements, how they spend their lives and what’s important to them.”

Across the street, beneath a white gazebo bearing a large blue Democratic logo, Zelek offered a different assessment.

“It was a more ugly episode than I was expecting,” Zelek said.

The unaffiliated candidate, endorsed by Democrats, said she had witnessed high turnout among voters motivated not only by local leadership but also by national politics.

“I think there’s been a non-stop crew of people coming in all day,” Zelek said. “Since 6 o’clock this morning, there have been people here.”

John Kiker, chair of the Democratic Town Committee, agreed with Zelek’s comments.

“I heard that a lot of what Christy said from the door-to-door campaign we did,” Kiker said. “People said that a lot. ‘I’m sick of what’s going on in our nation, so I’m going to get out there and try to make a change.'”

Nora Leech, an eight-year resident of Lyme, said she was particularly motivated to vote in this election after joining the Parks and Recreation Commission this year.

“Now I feel a little bit more invested than normal,” Leech said. “I love our little small town and I feel like I like voting for the people that are going to invest the time to make it continue to be a lovely small town.”

— Francisco Uranga

NEW BRITAIN, 3:15 p.m. — With lower than expected voter turnout as of noon Tuesday, New Britain’s two major-party candidates for mayor said they weren’t surprised. Both also expressed optimism based on positive feedback they say they’ve received over the last few days.

According to the city’s Registrar of Voters office, as of noon there were a combined total of 5,029 people who had either taken part in early voting or had voted at the polls on Tuesday. There are 30,292 active voters registered in the city where registered Democrats outnumber Registered Republicans by about 3-1.

“Right now, I’ve had a lot of people who won’t tell me how they voted but others who gave me a thumbs up, saying we’ve got you,” New Britain State Rep. Bobby Sanchez, also the city’s Democratic mayoral candidate told CT Examiner at about 2 p.m. Tuesday. Sanchez spoke to CT Examiner at Vance Elementary School, one of the city’s 17 polling places.

Sanchez said he’s heard “from many Erin [Stewart] Democrats who have said they will vote for me. That can make a difference.” Stewart has been the city’s mayor for 12 years; she opted not to run for a seventh two-year term while exploring a run for governor. She threw her support behind Common Council Minority Leader Sharon Beloin-Saavedra, the  city’s Republican candidate for mayor.

Asked why he thought voter turnout was lower than expected, Sanchez said: “Many people are frustrated while others are turned off on how the federal government is treating people in general.”

Beloin-Saavedra, who said she planned on stopping by about 11 of the city’s 17 polling places on Tuesday, spoke to CT Examiner near St. Maurice Catholic Church. She said she was “feeling good about the feedback we’ve been getting. … Today, people want to reaffirm the connections with us. It’s not a day for persuading voters; they’ve already made up their minds.”

Beloin-Saavedra said that her confidence level Tuesday afternoon was “at an 8” of 10.

Beloin-Saavedra said she told Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, who stopped by to give a boost to Sanchez at the Pulaski School, that she looked forward to working with him as the city’s next mayor. “He laughed,” she said.

Sanchez said he continues to hear from voters that “taxes are too high” and on the issues of education and affordable housing.

On education, Sanchez said he’d immediately set up a meeting with Schools Superintendent Tony Gasper and the Board of Education “to discuss what we need to do to boost reading, writing and math scores. We are near  the bottom.”

Beloin-Saavedra said she sent out extra voicemail and text reminders to voters Tuesday reminding them “to come out and vote.”

— Robert Storace

HAMDEN, 1:00 p.m. –  Edward Broderick came to work at the Thornton Wilder Auditorium at 7 a.m. and had 25 voters waiting for him, the election-site moderator said.

An hour later 62 had voted, then 136 by 9 a.m., and 196 by 10 a.m., 248, 306 and 386 over the next hours until 1 p.m., according to the election-site moderator said.

“For a local election, that’s pretty good,” Broderick said, but the turnout will be low compared to last year’s presidential election, when a whopping 78.21% turned out, according data compiled by the Office of the Secretary of the State.

A Republican poll worker for 23 years, Broderick said he expected about 30% of Hamden’s eligible 36,384 voters to make it to the polls today.

There have been indications that the turnout might be above that average. Hamden was 6th among the top 10 towns in Early Voting Program results since that began about two weeks ago, with 4,471 votes cast as of Sunday.

Broderick said he expects well over 500 at Thornton Wilder today in Hamden’s 1st District, near to the town government center and police station. 

By 1 p.m., voters were standing five deep at the auditorium, front door and volunteers were doing a brisk business selling bags of popcorn and sweets for the Spring Glen Garden Club.

Hamden’s politicians have called this year’s election unusually contentious. Mayor Lauren Garrett, a Democrat, withdrew from her third reelection bid over the summer as the town’s shaky financial situation became apparent. Garrett said she wanted to spend more time with her family.

Four mayoral candidates are seeking to replace her in office –  Democrat Adam Sendroff, Republican Jonathan Katz, Green Party candidate Patricia Vener-Saavedra and petitioning candidate Jameka A. Morrison-Jefferies.

That’s an unusually high number of candidates for Hamden, say local officials.

Hamden is usually dominated by Democrats, but with splits in the local Democratic Party locally and Katz’s youthful energy at 24, local Republicans are hoping for an upset but still see Sendroff as a favorite.

— Nick Sambides

OLD LYME, 12:30 p.m. — By midday, already 915 residents had voted at the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School gymnasium.

Fred Verillo, head moderator for Old Lyme, noted that there is, in general, a high turnout in the town. He said he was pleased with the new tabulating machines deployed for the first time across all municipalities in this year’s local elections.

“The experience with this machine was good,” Verillo said. “I’m very happy with it, seriously. I was a little nervous because it’s new.”

As Verillo described how the new system operates, a voter inserted a ballot and the tabulator showed a red error message on its screen.

“He marked it too lightly,” Verillo said after figuring out what the problem was. “It’s something that tends to happen with older voters.”

Between early votes and absentee ballots, roughly 1,700 residents had voted by Sunday. Combined with Tuesday’s tally, the numbers point to a strong turnout this year.

In 2023, 3,500 voters turned out for an election won by Democrat Martha Shoemaker by a margin of 3.5 percent. This year brings a rematch between incumbent First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker and challenger John Mesham.

As she left the polls, Rachel Fairchild said she had come to vote because she saw it as an important part of being part of the community and of supporting the town where she had worked for years and where her children had grown up. Fairchild was a Spanish teacher at the school where she was now voting.

“I think it’s a right that if we don’t use it, we won’t have it,” Fairchild said in Spanish. “And there’s no point in complaining about what’s going on if you don’t participate and vote.”

At noon, Thomas Beebe was going to register at Town Hall.

After years in Boston, he and his wife, Hannah Beebe-Listro, moved back to Connecticut. This would be their first election in the state since returning, though they said they typically vote in every race.

“It’s important to exercise my civil liberty,” Beebe said.

“I registered and I kept telling him to register,” Beebe-Listro said, laughing that her husband hadn’t registered yet. “I think education is super important and there’s a lower rate of young people voting. So it’s important that we vote.”

— Francisco Uranga

GROTON, 11:30 a.m. – High gusts of wind didn’t deter Adam Puccino from his place across from the entrance of Fitch High School, especially with a bond referendum for the athletic field on the ballot.

Puccino, who is running for a second term as town councilor, enthusiastically waved a campaign sign and called out to those arriving to vote.

“Hey folks, thanks for coming out to vote and please don’t forget the referendum. There’s a referendum at the bottom of the ballot!”

The $14.3 million bond referendum is part of a $56 million multiphase project that would give the town’s athletic fields, including at Sutton Park, a major facelift.

Puccino, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, said that it was likely that folks came knowing how they’d vote. His goal in braving the cool weather was “just to talk to people so they can see my face and let them know about the referendum.”

Some walked straight ahead with their eyes focused on the polls while others thanked Puccino for the reminder. Thomas and Alicia Settle, Groton residents and retirees, said the ballpark was an important issue.

“That’s a phenomenal use of a community resource. It’s not just the kids who play on them,” Thomas Settle told CT Examiner.

At Fitch there was a healthy flow of voters. While many were older and retirees, some younger working professionals came during the lunch break.

Hana Brown, 33, a massage therapist from Noank, previously registered as a Democrat and now unaffiliated, said she was fueled to vote by her frustration at the federal level.

“I try my best to stay aware of local issues and keep my voice heard and volunteer and vote whenever I can, because I think that’s just about the best that any one of us can do if we’re not politicians,” she said.

Although she has no children, Brown said the state of the public school system was a key concern, and she made it a point to research the referendum before voting.

Martha Gilmore, has two children, one 16 and the other 13, enrolled in the public schools, said she was voting yes on the bond referendum. Her son’s marching band practices on another field, Gilmore said, because there’s a lack of field space.

“Taxes are going to go up $15 to $30 a year anyway, whether we get a football field or not. They’re going to find some way to spend it,” she said. “If taxes go up it’s going at least it’s toward something that’s going to mean something for the area-like parents can use the track.”

By 10 a.m. the vote count for the town of Groton was 1,082 not including 1,462 early voters, according to the registrar of voters. The town has 23,664 total registered voters; 4,684 Republican, 7,998 Democrat, 355 Independents, 10,814 unaffiliated and 13 minor parties.

— Amy Wu

NORWALK, 11:50 a.m. – The old saw that all politics is local might not hold true in Norwalk this year.

Despite an open contest for mayor, several open seats on the Board of Education, and proposed revisions to the city charter on the ballot, voters showing up at West Rocks Middle School on Tuesday largely agreed that national politics is driving the local conversation.

That seems to be true no matter where they fall politically.

Adele Lagonigro, 91, said she was motivated to vote in part because she’s worried about the impact of Trump Administration policies on her community, including both young people and those nearing retirement age.

The 60-year former resident of Darien, who moved to Norwalk five years ago after the death of her husband, said she’s been impressed by the work of local officials from both parties and isn’t opposed to splitting her vote.

“People on the local level do a good job on both sides,” she said.

But not everyone sees it that way.

Lou Forte, a 45-year resident of Norwalk who grew up in Cos Cob, counts himself among the city’s shrinking number of conservative Trump supporters. He said he’s troubled in particular by what he sees as declining support for law enforcement as well as the pace of development and influx of New Yorkers, to the point that it’s becoming harder to recognize his community.

“The police presence when we were younger was a lot more prevalent than it is now,” he said. “Cops used to walk up and down the street. Now because of all the attacks and talk of defunding, nobody walks the streets anymore.”

He said he planned to vote a straight Republican line this year.

Others see the changes to Norwalk changes in a more positive light.

Eloisa Melendez, 31, a lifelong Norwalker who recently moved to Washington, D.C., returned home Tuesday morning to help local Democrats with last-minute leafletting and get-out-the-vote efforts.

The former Democratic Town Committee chair, who served six terms on Norwalk’s Common Council after being elected in 2013 at the age of 19, said she still feels deeply connected to her hometown. Her father was as a Norwalk police officer, and her mother still lives here.

“With Mayor [Harry] Rilling not seeking reelection, it’s a wide open race for candidates at the top and a lot of new candidates running,” Melendez said. “I wanted to come up and support some of my friends, in particular [Democratic mayoral candidate] Barbara Smyth. I served on the council with Barbara and am incredibly proud of her and the rest of the Democratic slate, and I felt it important that I come back up here to help them.”

Three other candidates — Republican Vinny Scicchitano and petitioning candidates John Kydes and Erik Vitaglione, both unaffiliated — are also running for mayor.

Beyond the mayor’s race, voters are considering several proposed changes to the city charter. One measure would make it easier for residents to initiate force referenda and would also change the name of the Common Council to the “City Council.” Another would lengthen the mayor’s term from two to four years starting with the 2029 election, and the council’s term from two to four years beginning in 2031.

A third proposal, if approved, would peg council members’ salaries to a level equal to 3% of the mayor’s salary.

— Eric Obernauer

OLD SAYBROOK, 10:45 a.m. — Despite an uncontested race for the town’s top seat, poll workers and members of the local parties said there had been a “steady stream” of voters on Election Day. 

By mid morning, voters were still steadily turning up at polling locations at the local middle school and high school. 

Republican First Selectman Carl Fortuna, is running unopposed for an eighth term, together with Republican Scott Giegerich and Democrat Jane Wisialowski for seats on the board of selectmen

Standing out front of a polling station, Wisialowski said the local Democratic Party was focused on gaining seats on boards and commissions. 

“I’d like to see the Democrats maintain the majorities where we have had them, on the Board of Finance and Police Commission and the Park and Recreation Commission,” she said. “I’d love it if we could get a majority on the Board of Ed.” 

Charles Gadon, chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, who is running as a Republican candidate for a seat on the Police Commission told CT Examiner that residents shouldn’t confuse partisan politics with town elections, and that every candidate from both parties was working for the good of the town.

That said, “Republicans run the town,” according to Gadon.

Asked about that, Wisialowski said that while the first selectman’s office has been occupied by a Republican for the past 14 years, Democrats have done a lot of “heavy lifting” on the Police Commission, including hiring the new police chief. 

And while top seats in town are essentially uncontested, Giegerich, who is also running for an eighth term, said this year there are more new candidates for local boards than there have been in the past. 

Asked if he believed the municipal race should be more of a contest, Giegerich replied, “the town needs to be concerned that we continue to find candidates that want to participate.” 

Next local election, Wisialowski said, the Democrats will be looking for an “excellent” candidate to run for first selectman.

— Ally LeMaster

NORWICH, 11:42 a.m. — Voters braved brisk winds today to vote in Norwich’s municipal elections. 

And while voters who spoke to CT Examiner raised a variety issues facing the town, one thing was consistently on their minds: that local elections matter.

“I think it’s important to have a say on what’s going on in our city and who’s going to represent us,” said Amy Geer-LaChance outside the polling place at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. 

She came with her daughter, Allie-Rose Geer-LaChance, who at 18 was voting for the first time.

Amy said she made sure to educate her daughter on the importance and process of local elections. 

“You know, looking at the individual and what they stand for,” said Geer-LaChance, “what they’re running in their campaigns, and then looking at track records.” 

Allie-Rose was not the only young person at the polls just before noon.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I feel like it’s my duty,” said Leo Heyse about voting in local elections. 

“I’m in my early 20’s so, I’m just starting my life,” he said. “And the country’s not in a good place right now. … So, I just want to get out and vote – see if I can change anything locally.” 

Gary Benson, another Norwich resident, also stressed the importance of local elections. 

“Everything starts locally,” Benson said. “Everything from zoning and taxes — it affects everybody. You can’t think nationally if you don’t think locally first.” 

Kelly August agreed, saying that to her, local elections are what make the difference in your day-to-day life. 

“I believe your local community and surroundings are more impactful than the national whole” she said. “This is where we’re grocery shopping and our kids play sports.” 

“This little bubble matters the most to me.” 

— Charlotte Harvey

DANBURY 11:30 a.m. — For two residents from Danbury’s 6th Ward, Tuesday’s election was all about the candidate who was not on the ballot: President Donald Trump.

CT Examiner spoke separately to voters Michael Cambeiro and Leslie Irving outside of the Park Avenue School polling place Tuesday morning. Both voted straight Democrat and said they were doing so because they were fed up with the leadership — or lack of it — coming from the man at the top of the GOP ticket nationally.

“I am so disgusted with the Republican Party,” said Cambeiro, a registered unaffiliated. “This is a protest vote, My vote is not based on local politics although [Democratic Mayor Roberto] Alves is not doing a bad job…. It starts at the head. The rhetoric and the divisiveness.”

Cambeiro said he thinks Trump got elected for a second term because “people were so tired of the status quo and believed Trump would do something. I kind of knew how he’s been over the years [and am not surprised.]. There is also really disgusting rhetoric coming out of [the GOP] in Congress.”

Irving said she was voting strictly for Danbury Democrats across-the-board because “I’m so anti-Trump and I want to support those who will do the opposite.”

Other voters were mixed.

Republican John Bonanno and his wife Chris said they casted their votes for Danbury Republican mayoral candidate Emilie Buzaid Jr. and his slate.

“I’ve always voted Republican,” John Bonanno told CT Examiner. “They have conservative values, believe in less spending and have common sense views.”

John Bonanno, who lives on the city’s west side near the New York state line, said his big issues were affordability and infrastructure.

“We can’t leave our home between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. because there is a bottleneck; it’s bumper-to-bumper,” he said.

City resident Christine Weigel said she voted for Alves because “he’s visible and has done everything he said he would. He’s at every event.”

Theresa Buzaid, wife of Emilie Buzaid and a candidate for town clerk, stood near the Park Avenue School with a large sign greeting voters.

“It’s going to be a close race,” Buzaid predicted. She said her husband “has been in the city a long time and knows what needs to get done. He is a very honest man who cares about Danbury.”

— Robert Storace

TORRINGTON, Noon — Friendly rivals, Republicans Karen McElroy and Dan Farley flank Democrat Lauren Pesce outside Torrington City Hall. They get along so well they hold each other’s signs during bathroom breaks.

Farley, a four-term incumbent treasurer running for re-election, had recommended Pesce for an appointment to the Board of Finance where she has served 12 years.

Mayor Elinor Carbone, a Republican, is not running after serving 12 years.

Two city councilors, Republican Molly Spino and Democrat Stephen Ivain, are running to succeed Carbone.

“I’m a rose between two thorns,” Pesce said, as they all laughed.

— Andy Thibault

NEW HAVEN, 10 a.m. — By mid morning, 89 people had cast ballots at the Kennedy Mitchell Hall of Records building in Ward 7.

Eli Sabin, running unopposed for reelection as alderman in Ward 7, stood on the sidewalk of the building with volunteers and a table offering Dunkin’ Donuts coffee to people coming in to vote.

“I think the most important thing is for folks to come out to vote and support our efforts to try to make the city more affordable, try to make the city safer, try to make sure this is a city where everybody has opportunities to get a good education, get a good job, provide for their families,” Sabin said. “Voting is a muscle and democracy requires constant involvement and engagement.”

He said he expected federal politics to play a role in motivating residents to turn out.

“We want to make sure that people are coming out to vote and showing that we are standing up to what’s happening in D.C.,” Sabin said.

In each of the last two elections, just over 12,000 residents voted in New Haven’s mayoral races. Between absentee ballots and early voting, just over 2,000 votes had been cast citywide by late Sunday.

Sophia Lafargue, a New Haven resident who voted at the public library—Ward 1— said she came out because she knows numbers matter and elected officials pay attention to that.

“I think just what’s happening in our country, which I think is quickly sliding into autocracy, makes me want to focus on the local side of things even more,” Fargue said. “The more chaotic things are at the broader federal level, the more empowering it feels to be active locally. And I think our mayor is doing a good job.”

By 10:20 a.m., 21 residents had voted in Ward 1, where Elias Theodore is running unopposed for alderman.

“New Haven politics are really dominated by Democrats right now, and so often the most contested elections are actually Democratic primaries in recent years,” Theodore said. “The mayoral race and the city clerk are contested. I have faith that those will go our way, but we should never take anything for granted.”

Ward 1 is primarily a district of college students, many of whom are registered to vote in other towns or states, Theodore said.

“I think on principle this is like such a fundamental way of participating in a democracy. There have been voter suppression methods across the country,” Theodore said. “There’s been misinformation. But getting out and voting and expressing your opinions in this way is such a fundamental way for us all to be involved.”

— Francisco Uranga

MIDDLETOWN, 8:30 a.m. — Democratic Interim Mayor Gene Nocera and former Republican Mayor Seb Giuliano — both competing this year for the top job — stood next to each other at Wesley Elementary School talking to voters on Election Day. 

“All races get a little strange, but Seb and I have known each other for a long time,” Nocera said of his opponent. “We’re public servants that [have worked] in the city for a long time.” 

“We were both born here, grew up here, and made our homes here and basically committed to this place,” Giuliano said. 

A special election for mayor was spurred when former Mayor Ben Florishem, a Democrat, stepped down from the seat in June, a little less than two years into his second four year term. Since Florishem’s resignation, Nocera has taken over as mayor. 

Voters will decide on Tuesday which candidate will serve for the next two years. Elections for mayor will then revert back to the standard four-year term in 2027. 

“I think this is an election that was kind of out of the blue,” Giuliano told CT Examiner. “Part of this campaign season was getting people to realize that it was actually happening.” 

Early voting numbers for the municipal Middletown election show registered Democrats outpacing Republicans by roughly 1,100 votes. 

Nocera told CT Examiner that he wasn’t yet thinking about the numbers. 

“We both don’t look at the finish line. We just run,” he said. “You start looking at the finish line, you get messed up.” 

Giuliano said that early voting numbers are a “good indicator, but not always an accurate indicator.” He noted that Republicans tend to vote on Election Day and that Middletown voters don’t always vote for their registered party. 

Both Nocera and Giuliano said this election boils down to affordability and taxes for Middletown residents. 

“People are clear about that,” Nocera said. “They can’t afford a lot of things that they used to be able to purchase.” 

In other voting districts throughout the city, election moderators described the morning as “very, very slow.” 

Around 8 a.m. at the Community Health Center, only 36 votes were cast. In the South Fire District, roughly 80 votes were cast around 8:30 a.m. 

Election moderator Mark Forman told CT Examiner that the slow voter turnout for this year’s election was in stark contrast to high turnout in the 2024 election. 

Forman said he thinks voter turnout will pick up around noon.

— Ally LeMaster

BOLTON, 8:34 a.m. —   Democrats and Republicans have settled into their spots for the day outside of Bolton High School, the town’s only polling location. Each party has donuts and coffee to keep warm on this windy election day. 

Grae Norman-Hall is a Democrat running for the first time for Board of Education. A teacher for 10 years, Norman-Hall said she wants to give back to the town she loves. She said she was at the polls to prove to voters that she’s reliable and will show up for them. 

“I just spent the last two months going door-to-door, saying ‘hi’ to people, saying ‘come vote.’ I’d love to say hi somebody who I saw then … They can know I’m here,” she told CT Examiner. “I’m here for the town. I brought my daughter with me. I can make it work.” 

Across the parking lot stood the Republican tent. Inside was Bob Morra, former first selectman and selectman. He said the party wants to maintain the town’s small town character, a “rural feel, yet you’re 15 minutes from downtown Hartford.”

“Everything is accessible and close,” Morra said. “All this, avaliable here.”

A good aspect of Bolton’s politics, he said, is that elected officials were very accessible to voters.

“You got a problem? You don’t have to go through three layers. You can go right to [the person] in charge and deal with it.”

— Mikayla Bunnell

SOUTHBURY, 9 a.m. — Democratic Town Committee Chair and Board of Finance candidate Michael Carrington knows that almost every voter going into the town’s library polling place had made up their mind, but still he felt a need to come and greet them.

“Local elections don’t get a lot of turnout, but it’s important to make voters feel welcomed and valued because they are,” Carrington told CT Examiner as he greeted and interacted with residents before and even after they cast their vote.

Carrington, who said he’d be “bouncing around” two of the town’s three polling locations, said: “I’m optimistic because we’ve had good feedback from voters. I think the Democrats will be closer this time than in the past.”

Southbury has more registered Republican voters than Democratic voters and Republican First Selectman Jeff Manville has led the town for a decade.

Carrington — who was standing literally a few feet from the town’s Republican Selectman Jason Van Stone as both greeted voters — said “some people have just said hello; others have asked about the candidates and the four Charter Revision questions.”

Those questions include whether or not the First Selectman’s term should be increased from two to four years.

Van Stone told CT Examiner Tuesday that “People are telling us they are happy with Southbury in general and they like the direction we are headed in and want to keep steady on the wheel. We are in good financial shape and bounced back from the floods.”

Van Stone said the two biggest issues he’s heard from voters revolve around affordability and taxes.

“It’s about the general cost of living like with groceries,” Van Stone said. “They expect us [the local GOP] to keep a handle on town spending.”

— Robert Storace

BRANFORD, 7:30 a.m. – Voters streamed in and out of the Branford Community Center, most bundled up as morning temperatures hovering in the 40s against a backdrop of a parking lot that included candidates and supporters holding signs and cups of coffee against the cold. This year’s key local races include First Selectman, Treasurer and Board of Education.  

Ben Pelletier, 42, a history teacher, voted before heading off to work. Pellitier, who has a school-aged daughter, said that while he was generally happy with the local government and community, he was excited there was a new group of contenders.

“It’s the first time that we have had an opportunity to elect a new first selectman because [Jamie] Cosgrove was so popular and he kept running,” he said. “Right now, we have no incumbents, so we have the opportunity to potentially go in a different direction that might lead the town in new and exciting ways.”

“I always vote, and this time I voted straight Democratic,” said Mary Barnett, a rector reverend at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Middleton. The registered Democrat said that for the first time in local elections she decided to vote for all Democrats at a local level in part because of her dissatisfaction with what’s happening on a national level.  

She started tearing up when asked what inspired her to come out and vote in person. “I’m going to cry…it’s the right to vote, I don’t take it lightly,” she said. “It’s all I can do.”

Joe Byrne, 54, a lifelong Branford resident said he decided against early voting because he considers voting on election day a ritual. “I’m a creature of habit and it’s exciting to see the person you voted for win,” he said. He’s generally happy with how the town is run but would like to “see the tax base expand with new businesses.”  

Colin Tracy, 28, has been following local politics since college. Born and raised in Branford he works at the town’s parks and recreation department and owns a gym in nearby North Branford. He said he’s seen how local policy, everything from zoning to small business development, can have an impact on everyday life.

“It’s the small things that add up,” he said.

Keeping up to date on the local level, he said, is “making a microscope into a telescope and looking at the bigger picture,” he said.

— Amy Wu

WEST HAVEN, 8:22 a.m. — Democratic Mayor Dorinda Borer is running unopposed for a second term in office so she was out and about at city polling places campaigning for other members of her team.

At Mackrille School, Borer’s home district, she was out shaking hands with Councilman Christopher Vargo Jr.

By 7:30 a.m., about 50 people had voted at that poll.

“We have a lot of positive vibes and are pleasantly surprised on how many people have come out to vote,” Borer said.

In the city, which is 17 to 3 Democrat, 1,800 had already taken advantage of early voting. Fifty people had already voted by absentee ballot.

— Daniel Tepfer

SALEM, 8:16 a.m. — Democrats and Republicans have set up tents outside of the polls at Town Hall where voters are casting ballots for the municipal elections.

There are 26 local seats up for election including seven with candidates running unopposed.

“It’s been a very kind race here in Salem,” Ronald Labonte, the Republican candidate for first selectman, told CT Examiner.

“The Republicans have had a bit of an advantage in the past decade or so,” Labonte said. “I’m not sure, you never know anything until the end, so I’m not going to speculate either way.”

Speaking of his competition, Labonte was congenial. 

“If Mrs. Sprang gets elected, I can support her in whatever she needs to do.”

In the other tent, there the mood was similarly civil. 

Gary Closius, who chairs the Salem Democratic Party and is running for selectman, said both parties are working for the good of the town.

“I think we have a good, qualified ticket,” said Closius. “People who I think are well qualified and they’re interested in doing things for the town.” 

But he also acknowledged the positive efforts of his opponents.

“First of all,” Closius said, “I think the people that are running for office — I don’t care what ticket you’re on — are interested in doing what’s good for the town.” 

— Charlotte Harvey

HAMDEN, 7:20 a.m. — Election Day has arrived to Hamden and candidates from both sides of the aisle seemed confident as voters headed to the polls.

4,471 absentee and early ballots had already been returned when the polls opened on Tuesday morning and the Democratic candidate for mayor, Adam Sendroff, cast his ballot at the Hamden Board of Education, and the Republican candidate, Jonathan Katz, voted at the Keefe Community Center.

The town’s budget, fiscal transparency, and property taxes were key issues for this election according to the candidates.

“As I’ve gone door to door, I’ve heard it all over town, the rising property taxes,” Sendroff said. “The affordability issue is number one on everybody’s mind. Second, I would say the town’s whole fiscal situation. We’ve been without a finance director for about a year. We don’t have audits finished for the last two fiscal years, and this is no way to run a $300 million operation.”

Sendroff has more than 20 years of public service experience as an elected official, department head, and volunteer in town. He served a decade on the Board of Education and ran a community center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Katz, 24, has worked as a prosecution paralegal and is a graduate of Fordham University. His platform emphasized fiscal stability, public safety, and government accountability.

“People want financial stability, but right now the biggest thing is financial instability, which leads to our record-high taxes,” Katz said. “Our debt, our lack of long-term planning, and our taxes put a hugely unnecessary burden on the backs of residents.”

Despite Hamden’s strong Democratic lean, Katz said his message has resonated with residents across party lines.

“It’s because the policies I’m presenting are people first and not politics first,” he said.

Polls in Hamden are open until 8 p.m., with results expected later tonight.

— Hannah Freshman

WILLINGTON, 6:47 a.m. —  Despite the cold and wind, Melissa McKinnon was outside of the Willington Town Office Building spreading out festive tablecloths and untangling pumpkin lights. The vice president of the Willington PTA was setting up for the annual election day bake sale to raise money for Dollars for Scholars, a scholarship foundation helping E.O. Smith seniors go to college. 

McKinnon highlighted the importance of voting, especially in small towns. 

“We’re such a small town, and we have a lot of families that move here because of the school system, and there’s a lot of talk about consolidating our schools,” she said. “We need good people to come into our town for every kind of election. There’s lots of issues that need fixing right now and it’s important to get the right person in there.” 

McKinnon said that voter turnout was quite low in their small town. Every vote counts, she said. Last year, when she ran for board of education, the initial vote count came to a one vote difference between her and her competitor. 

“Every vote matters, especially in our little town. It makes a difference,” she said.

— Mikayla Bunnell

SPRAGUE, 6:39 a.m. — State Sen. Cathy Osten, who is running as the Democratic candidate for First Selectman, sat outside of the polls at the Sayles School waving at passersby and to those coming in to vote. 

“This is the first time in a few years we’ve had a full slate of Democrats on the ballot,” Osten said. 

She confidently predicted that 6 of the 8 Democratic candidates would win. The only question marks, Osten said, were the races for selectman and first selectman.

“Those are very competitive races,” Osten told CT Examiner.

Osten, who is running to unseat Incumbent First Selectman Cheryl A. Blanchard, a Republican, said she planned to sit outside of the polling place all day, maybe light a small fire, and gather with friends to keep warm through the chilly Election Day.

— Charlotte Harvey