Staff Photos
4 who would be governor (clockwise from top left): Michelle Bicking, Rob Hotaling, Ned Lamont, Bob Stefanowski.
Staff Photos
Candidates for U.S. Representative, one of numerous multi-candidate races (clockwise from top left): Amy Chai, Justin Paglino, Rosa DeLauro, Lesley DeNardis.
New Haven’s 54,000 registered voters have 11 decisions to make on Election Day — with 30+ choices to wade through.
Got 15 hours or so? We can help.
Candidates are vying for 10 offices ranging from U.S. Representative to governor, from secretary of the state and attorney general to state senator and representative.
There’s also a ballot question: whether to support a constitutional amendment to allow for early voting. (Read more about that here.)
Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Click here to find out where to vote.
Seven different parties are fielding candidates, and others are running on unaffiliated-petition and write-in lines as well. (Two of the parties, The Working Families and Griebel Frank parties, for the most part cross-endorse candidates, most of them Democrats — left-leaning Dems in the former case, moderates in the latter, with cross-over. Click here to view a full sample ballot including cross-endorsements.)
That’s a lot of people to learn about if you want to make informed choices!
If you’re interested in meeting and hearing about the candidates … read on. The vast majority of the candidates, from all parties, sat down for extensive interviews on New Haven Independent/La Voz Hispana-run WNHH FM. They discussed their personal stories, their reasons for running, and their positions on key issues.
You’ll find videos of those interviews below, as well as links (in blue hyperlinks) to stories and sites that can tell you more. (One exception: We did not invite in candidates for U.S. Senate. Click here to watch a debate between the two candidates, Democrat Richard Blumenthal and Republican Leora Levy. The candidates reflect their national parties’ differing views on hot-button issues like abortion, gun control and Donald Trump.)
4 Vie For Governor
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont is running for a second term on his record of stabilizing state finances and steering the state through the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, among other accomplishments. In a rematch, Republican Bob Stefanowski is looking to ride the national GOP wave in pinning inflation and concerns over crime to Democrats. The Independent Party’s Rob Hotaling, a banker, is seeking to steer a centrist course, while the Green Party-endorsed Michelle Bicking (a write-in candidate) is promoting high-speed rail, single-payer health care, and universal college and trade school.
★ Just published a new episode of Dateline New Haven with Paul Bass: Dateline New Haven: Green Party Gubernatorial Candidate Michelle Bicking. Listen: https://t.co/wCK5v6PRan
— wnhhlp (@wnhhlp) November 1, 2022
Dateline New Haven: Green Party Gubernatorial Candidate Michelle Bicking https://t.co/IE16cj72Zo
— wnhhlp (@wnhhlp) November 1, 2022
Dateline New Haven: Gov. Candidate Bob Stefanowski https://t.co/wwBWJTvq7v
— wnhhlp (@wnhhlp) November 3, 2022
4-Way Race For Congress
Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro is seeking a 17th two-year term, running on her record, including passage of a child tax credit and tens of millions of dollars in grants through her role as chair of the House Appropriations Committee. She faces Republican Lesley DeNardis, who is emphasizing spending and tax cuts and is the daughter of the last Republican to represent the district (in 1982); single-payer health care proponent Justin Paglino of the Green Party; and the Independent Party’s Amy Chai, who’s advancing a “fourth trimester” proposal to support new moms while taking her message to the skies.
The Quest For Attorney General
Incumbent Democrat William Tong seeks a second term trumpeting victories in class-action lawsuits on issues like opioid addiction and pursuing “collusion” and consumer rip-offs in industries like generic drugs, while Republican Jessica Kordas presses a parents’ rights platform and Green Ken Krayeske calls on the state to work with, rather than against, victims of violence by state correctional officers and police officers. The Independent Party’s A.P. Pascarella is on the ballot as well.
3 Seek To Become Secretary Of The State
The national debate over early voting and no-excuses absentee voting is reflected in the race between Democrat Stephanie Thomas and Republican Dom Rapini, while Independent Party candidate Cynthia Jennings is pushing ranked-choice voting.
Comptroller Clash
The comptroller serves essentially as Connecticut’s chief financial officer — overseeing payroll and benefits for 65,000 employees, negotiating their health plans, serving as the top fiscal watchdog, and issuing monthly budget reports. Democrat Sean Scanlon argues that his legislative experience heading the legislature’s finance committee and his experience running Tweed New Haven’s airport authority position him to hit the ground running. Republican Mary Fay argues that her career as a senior finance executive at companies like GE, Sun Life, and AIG, and her party independence from Democrats position her better for the role.
Dateline New Haven: Comptroller Candidate Sean Scanlon https://t.co/72WawdOYgs
— wnhhlp (@wnhhlp) November 3, 2022
The Tangle For Treasurer
A similar difference over credentials defines the race for state treasurer, as does a philosophical difference: Democrat Erick Russell of New Haven embraces social mission-driven investing alongside maximizing returns on investing state pension and trust funds. Republican Harry Arora argues that it’s important to keep those goals separate. Also running for state treasurer are Independent Party candidate Jennifer Baldwin and Libertarian Party candidate Joanna Laiscell.
Probate Judge Race
Democrat Americo Carchia and Independent Jerald Barber (who is also endorsed by the Republican Party) agree on the role of the probate court, and offer different reasons for why they’re best qualified. They covered that ground in a civil campaign debate on WNHH’s “Dateline.”
State Legislative Races
All of New Haven’s incumbent state legislators, who are all Democrats, are running for reelection. Republicans are challenging New Haven’s two Democratic state senators on fiscal conservatism and crime platforms: John Carlson is taking on Gary Winfield, and Steve Orosco is taking on Martin Looney. Click here to read about the campaigns of incumbent Democratic State Rep. Roland Lemar and his Republican challenger, Eric Mastroianni; and here and here about the campaigns of incumbent State Rep. Patricia Dillon and unaffiliated challenger Lesley Heffel McGuirk. Republican Anthony Acri is challenging east side Democratic State Rep Alphonse Paolillo. Republican Percy Sanders is challenging incumbent Democratic State Rep. Toni Walker. Incumbent Democratic State Reps. Robyn Porter and Juan Candelaria do not face challenges this year.