HARTFORD — Facing long odds against two-term Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, State Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, says he’s mounting a serious challenge rooted in the belief that most registered Democrats are more progressive than the governor.
Elliott is campaigning on issues he says Lamont has repeatedly ignored.
The 40-year-old and House Progressive Caucus member said Wednesday he’s in the race to win it. He said the governor has not sufficiently addressed the issue of affordability, has turned its back on the Democratic base of working and middle-class voters, and appeals more to the “ultra-rich” than ordinary residents.
Elliott said he takes comfort in what occurred this year in the New York City mayor’s race, in which a relative newcomer to state politics, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, beat Andrew Cuomo by talking about economic issues that New Yorkers cared about.
“What we saw in New York City is that we had someone elected using ranked-choice voting who, I believe, represents the wills of the voters the best and people did not feel scared to vote for somebody who represents true progressive ideals,” said Elliot, a strong proponent of bringing the ranked-choice voting system in Connecticut.
Elliott, who owns a grocery store in Hamden with his mother, said “there is a parallel” between New York City and Connecticut.
“I would say there was no way to have known that Mamdani was going to catch fire. … He represents the progressive ideals, and he represents extremely hard work, and those are two things I’m aiming to emulate without any guarantee that this [Connecticut campaign] will catch fire playing the same way. But I’m going to work as hard as I can to make it happen.”
Elliott noted “the similarities are also that this is a generational fight with a more than 30-year differential [in both cases] between the two candidates. One candidate [Cuomo] had been doing political work for decades and decades and the other [Mamdani] was new to the position.”
Lamont will be 72 years old early next month.
Elliott said he will not play directly from the Mamdani playbook, but said the issues will be helping the middle and working class and fighting for them.
Elliott, who announced his campaign in July, said Lamont has never really faced a primary challenge from the progressive wing of his party. Lamont lost the Democratic primary for governor in 2010 against Dannel Malloy and beat out current Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim by a wide margin in 2018; but neither Malloy nor Ganim wear the progressive label as Elliott does.
“[Lamont is] a conservative Democrat,” Elliott said. “In Connecticut, that means you are generally going to be good on issues of reproductive choice and reproductive health. You are going to be good on LGBTQ+ rights. You are going to be good on gun regulation issues. But the fact is, he’s also really, really backwards on issues of economic fairness and that affects the majority of people in Connecticut. … He’s really weak on the issues that people care about.”
Elliott claimed Lamont “killed” several popular initiatives since becoming governor, including a child tax credit, free universal school meals, public education for community college, the striking workers bill and the original comprehensive housing bill, which was recently approved in a special session.
In his 2025 budget, Lamont proposed making school meals free for all students on reduced priced lunches and proposed making school breakfast free for all students. The programs would have started in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, respectively. The Legislature chose to fund other programs instead.
Elliott said Connecticut should look across the border to Massachusetts, where voters chose to levy a 4% surcharge on individuals making $1 million or more annually.
“I think that’s a good place to start the conversation,” he said.
Undaunted by the name recognition advantage Lamont has or the financial advantage the governor has, Elliott has raised about $70,000 so far with hopes of raising $350,000 to qualify for $3 million in public campaign financing.
“[Lamont has] been our governor for seven years and, so he can slowly pick off people in the party [to support him], but the fact is that he won’t have that level of motivation,” he said.
Elliott has led the charge to have ranked-choice voting in Connecticut, has pushed for requirements that all children in the public education system receive proper immunizations with the only exception being for medical reasons, and has advocated for banning the use of solitary confinement in prisons.
State Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, is the only sitting lawmaker who has endorsed Elliott, although about 35 current lawmakers have contributed to his campaign. In addition, about two dozen Democratic Town Committee chairs throughout the state have donated to the campaign.
Elliott said he’s personally met with about 20 Democratic Town Committees and has 60 more meetings with local DTCs set up over the next few months.
If he does not get the party nod at the May convention, Elliott said he will primary Lamont in August, but noted he’d support the governor if he should lose.
“I would absolutely support him [if he lost the primary],” Elliott said. “It’s very important that we do not have a Republican representing our state. … While the governor and I disagree vehemently on issues relating to the economics in our state, there are things that we still align on because, ultimately, we are still looking to carry the banner of the Democratic Party.”
In response to Elliott, Lamont’s campaign issued a statement written by State Rep. and Deputy House Speaker Chris Rosario, D-Bridgeport.
“Governor Lamont stands on his record of delivering real results for the people of Connecticut. Under his leadership, we have cut taxes for the middle class, raised wages, expanded child care, supported debt-free community college, invested in public education and housing, and protected workers’ rights while restoring the state’s fiscal health. That is Governor Lamont’s record,” the statement read. “In Bridgeport and communities across Connecticut, families are seeing the impact of his leadership through expanded early childhood education and stronger schools. The expansion of Three Little Bears Daycare is a perfect example. This achievement would not have been possible without Governor Lamont’s vision and support. Harding High’s progress and improvements across other Bridgeport schools reflect what is possible when the Governor provides consistent support, strategic guidance, and targeted investments in students and staff. These successes show what is possible when the Governor leads, invests in children, and strengthens families.”