Who Is Running To Lead CT's Major Cities?

Mathew Biadun | News-Editor

Municipal elections tend to be on the sleepier side of politics. Mayors rarely get attention debating budgets and citywide crime, at least not beyond the reporting of local papers. But this year, as the three-way brawl for mayor of New York City continues, more attention than usual has been directed towards who will be leading America’s major cities. Which begs the question: who will be leading Connecticut’s?

Mayoral elections are happening in almost all of Connecticut’s major cities this year, with the exception of Hartford and Bridgeport. Current Mayor of Hartford Arunan Arulampalam became mayor in 2023, and the next election isn’t until 2027. The city’s only local offices on the ballot will be for the Board of Education. Bridgeport’s current mayor Joe Ganim was similarly elected in 2024, in an election that required a do-over due to allegations of absentee ballot fraud that made national headlines.

The rest of Connecticut’s major cities, however, do have full municipal elections being contested.

Perhaps the election drawing the most eyes has been New Haven’s. Justin Elicker was first elected as mayor in 2019, and re-elected in 2021 and 2023 by wide margins. This election has drawn more eyes thanks to his opponent, Steve Orosco, a former businessman and MMA fighter. Orosco has taken his pugnacity to the city’s issues, sparring with Elicker on issues such as crime and immigration, as well as to what role Yale University should play in the city. Elicker has a large fundraising advantage, in a city which has historically been a Democratic stronghold, but Orosco is at least expected to do better than previous candidates.

Another incumbent up for re-election is Caroline Simmons, the mayor of Stamford. A former state representative, she won her office in 2021 against independent-candidate Bobby Valentine, becoming the city’s first female mayor. Her term has seen factional infighting arise within the local Democratic Party, with a group known as ‘Reform Stamford’ making an effort to oust Simmons’ allies within the party last year. Those efforts were crushed. This year, Simmons faces a Republican opponent, Nicola Tarzia, who is running a moderate campaign. 

Connecticut’s two most competitive elections both come from Hartford County. In Bristol, incumbent two-term mayor Jeff Caggiano faces off in a rematch election against Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, who lost her own bid for a third term in 2021, when Caggiano defeated her. The city now sees a rematch in an election largely centered around the city’s ongoing downtown development and the issue of rising taxes. 

The other major election is in New Britain where, for the first time in over a decade, Erin Stewart is not on the ballot. She was first elected in 2013 at the age of twenty-six, and has served continuously since then. At the start of this year she announced an exploratory bid to run for governor, meaning she wouldn’t run for mayor again. In her place on the Republican ticket is Sharon Beloin-Saavedra, former chair of the school board and current alderman. She’ll face off against Bobby Sanchez, the state representative who lost to Stewart in 2021. Sanchez has had a commanding fundraising lead in the campaign; but no Democrat has been elected to the city since 2011.

Windham is also electing a mayor this year. The Mayor of Windham has less powers than the previously mentioned mayors, as the city uses a ‘Town Manager’ system of government. But the position still holds sway as the top elected official, as well as having a seat on the Town Council. Running for a fourth term is incumbent Mayor Tom DeVivo, a Democrat. His opponent is Republican Hailey Desaulniers, who made state news as a nineteen year-old running for mayor.

Early voting opened on October 20th, and election day is on November 4th.