Connecticut midterm election results: Democrats win big

Photo courtesy of Charger Bulletin/Lillian Newton.

Results of the 2022 midterm elections from the New York Times, Nov. 12, 2022.

On Tuesday, Connecticut voters filled a number of political positions. As of Friday, voters chose Democrats for most of the open roles in the state, filling all four of Connecticut’s four constitutional offices – secretary of the state, treasurer, comptroller and attorney general – and reinforced the party’s influence. In the state legislature, Democrats have control of the trifecta: governor, State Senate, and State House.

Incumbent Democrat Ned Lamont won the race for governor, earning 56% of the vote. Runner-up Republican Bob Stefanowski had 43% of the vote, while Independent Robert Hotaling gained 1%. Of the eight counties in Connecticut, six were led by the Democrats while two, Litchfield and Windham counties, were led by the GOP. This divide was a recurring theme for the elections of Connecticut attorney general and secretary of state.

This is the second time Lamont won against Stefanowski. The two previously faced off in 2018, when Lamont won by roughly 40,000 votes.

Incumbent Democrat William Tong won the attorney general seat with 56.9% of the vote, followed by Republican Jessica Kordas with 41.5%. Independent A.P. Pascarella and Ken Krayeske of the Green Party received 1% and 0.6% of the votes, respectively.

Democrat candidate Stephanie Thomas will now take on the role of Connecticut’s Secretary of State, gaining 55.1% of votes. For that office, Republican Dominic Rapini received 42.8% while independent Cynthia Jennings received 2.1%.

In the race for a seat in the U.S. Senate, Democrat incumbent Richard Blumenthal took the lead with 57.5% of the total votes, surpassing Republican Leora Levy’s 42.5%. This win is significant, as Levy had the backing of former President Donald Trump. Trump lost the state to President Biden in the 2020 election by 20 points.

Democrats also won all five of Connecticut’s U.S. House of Representative seats. Incumbent candidates John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa L. DeLauro, Jim Himes, and Jahana Hayes will all continue their roles, with all counties voting in favor of the Democratic party.

The GOP hoped candidate George Logan would take the lead in the 5th Congressional District against Hayes. Logan previously had a history of winning elections against incumbent Democrats, making him a strong contender in the race. With this particular Republican loss, Connecticut’s 14-year record of Democratic representation in the U.S. House continues.

Voters also passed Question One on Conn.’s 2022 ballot, which will introduce early voting in future elections. Before the midterms, Connecticut was one of only four states that did not provide access to early voting; the other states were Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire. In total, more than 350,000 individuals voted “Yes” on Question One, resulting in 60% of votes being in favor of the amendment to the state constitution.