Addison Plummer
Governor Ned Lamont will be running for re-election against Bob Stephanowski on the upcoming election day, November 8th, 2022. Ned Lamontrepresents the Democratic party, while Bob Stefanowski is a Republican candidate.
In the 2018 election, Lamont and Stefanowski also ran against each other, with Lamont narrowly winning after a close race; Lamont’s main statement was that he would not raise taxes as long as he was governor. While many democrats believe he held mostly true to this, only raising them around 250 million dollars, Republicans believe he may have raised taxes by up to 900 million dollars total. This has been an ongoing debate for most of the time Lamont has been the governor, and there is no straight answer to it. This is due to the many loopholes when it comes to taxes: what counts and what does not.. So though Lamont claims the changes don't count as tax raises, Stephanowski disagrees.
“It’s embarrassing that a sitting governor continues to blatantly lie to his constituents.” Stefanowski Said.
Though Lamont was somewhat unpopular at the beginning of his term, by June 2022 he was the most popular Democratic governor in the United States. Many believe this is due to the way he led during the peak of Covid-19, and how he has been very open about his current opinions on things such as mask mandates and vaccinations.
“Unlike two years ago, we now have the ability to keep ourselves safe. We have vaccines … we have rapid, same-day tests. I don’t see any need for mandates,” Lamont said.
Though many Connecticut residents agree with this, many also do not, Stefanowski being one of these people. Throughout Covid, he was very outspoken about his anti-mask viewpoint, attending and supporting many anti-mask groups and events throughout the pandemic. Stefanowski attended an anti-mask fundraiser and picnic in May of 2022, he tested positive directly after this, and his statement regarding it was somewhat controversial considering his past anti-vaccination advocacy.
“I just wanted to let everyone know that I tested positive for COVID-19 this morning after finding out I had a positive exposure, I am vaccinated, boosted, and feeling fine so far. I will continue to follow all CDC protocols.” Stefanowski said.
In the past couple months, Lamont has remained popular, with up to a 55% lead amongst men, and up to a 63% lead with women of Connecticut. This translates to about a 17 point lead, though it does fluctuate as new poles come out. This is a large gap compared to many federal elections, where candidates are almost never more than a couple points apart. This could be due to how much more attention they get, whereas state elections are much more looked over.
“I think all elections are incredibly important, and I’m concerned that not enough people take the election process seriously enough, and disenfranchise themselves by not taking part in the truly democratic opportunity” NHS Library Media Specialist Liza Zandonella said.
Though nothing is permanent until election day, November 8th, experts believe Lamont will win his second race against Stefanowski.
"Seventeen points is by any measure a huge lead. Barring a calamity, it certainly looks like a cruise control ride up I-91 and back to the statehouse in Hartford for Governor Lamont," Quinnipiac University Poll Director Doug Schwartz said.