DuBois-Walton Wins A 2nd Ward Vote; Nets 50 50s At 50’s

Karen DuBois-Walton won a straw-poll vote on Saturday and drew a crowd to a fundraiser on Fitch Street Sunday for her mayoral campaign.

The Saturday vote took place at Mitchell Library. Seventeen members of the Ward 29 Democratic Committee voted to support DuBois-Walton; seven voted to support incumbent Justin Elicker, whom DuBois-Walton is seeking to challenge in a Sept. 14 party primary; and one person voted to support Mayce Torres, who has also filed papers to run for mayor.

Ward committees around town have been holding these votes, which are meant as unofficial shows of support for candidates. Each ward committee’s two co-chairs then cast votes at a July 27 Democratic Party convention to formally endorse a candidate. Other candidates then have a chance to petition onto the Sept. 14 ballot.

Elicker has won most of these unofficial ward committee votes so far; DuBois-Walton won one other, in Ward 30, which covers the West Rock and West Hills neighborhoods. Ward 29 covers a swath of Beaver Hills.

This was the first time Torres has won a vote at any of these events. Ward 29 Co-Chair Audrey Tyson said she cast the vote for Torres because ​“no one else was voting for her, and she presented herself really well” in addressing the committee. Tyson said that doesn’t mean she’ll vote that way at the convention; she said she and Co-Chair Major Ruth will meet this week to discuss whom they’ll support.

The next day was the weekly ​“Soul Food Sunday” musical showcase at 50’s On Fitch lounge in the 50 Fitch St. complex. The first hours doubled as a $50-per-person fundraiser for DuBois-Walton’s campaign. Around 50 supporters, give or take a few, thronged the inside of the restaurant as well as the patio to enjoy soul food and live music, and to hear some words from the candidate.

DuBois-Walton noted that New Haven saw its 17th homicide of the year on Saturday, and that the city is on track to ​“far exceed” last year’s 20. She also spoke of how New Haven was the state’s last city to see students return to in-person learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is an amazing city! I came here at 17 and fell in love with the city,” she said. But ​“this community is hurting right now. People are dying in our streets. It is a crisis. … We should all be outraged by that … and demand different leadership.” She also vowed to help make Black-owned ​“businesses like this thrive.”