HARTFORD, Conn. _ Ned Lamont will be the next governor of Connecticut.
Republican Bob Stefanowski conceded the race for governor Wednesday morning after late returns from the state's cities pushed Lamont to victory.
"A few moments ago, I called Ned Lamont to concede the race for governor and congratulate him on a hard-fought victory," Stefanowski said in a statement released by his office shortly after 9 a.m. "I wish both Ned and the state of Connecticut success over these next four years."
"While this is not the result we would have hoped for, I am glad that we were able to draw so much attention to the tax burden in this state. Think about it � at the beginning of this race, we were laser-focused on cutting taxes, while other candidates were talking about raising taxes. We were able to mold the discussion in such a way that the other candidates slowly began to come around to the same conclusion to varying degrees."
Stefanowski spoke to reporters outside a Rocky Hill hotel Wednesday, offering congratulations to Lamont and offered him any help he needs.
"After a long campaign, he could not have been more gracious, and I could not be more appreciative," Lamont said in a statement. "I look forward to working with him, because we all need to come together � regardless of party � to solve our state's biggest challenges.
"I'm humbled and I want every resident to know how grateful I am for this extraordinary honor. I will work every day � honestly and thoughtfully � to move this state forward and be a champion for Connecticut."
Lamont plans make remarks at Dunkin' Donuts Park at noon.
In conceding, Stefanowski said "the margin was big enough" to hand victory to Lamont. Problems with same-day voter registration are not significant enough to change the race. "It's not enough to change the outcome."
Unofficial results showed Lamont up nearly 18,000 votes to Stefanowski with 94 percent of the state reporting, according to the Secretary of the State's office.
"I got the most votes of any Republican in Connecticut history, but they really got out the vote," Stefanowski told reporters of the turnout Tuesday. Voting turnout outpaced 2014 and 2010 participation.
Lamont carried Bridgeport, the state's most populous city, by 15,931 votes, and Hartford by 17,238 votes, according to unofficial results posted on the secretary of the state's website in the pre-dawn hours.
In New Haven, just 20 percent of precincts had reported results as of 9 a.m., with Lamont staked to a lead of 6,616 votes.
As of 9 a.m., all of the state's 169 municipalities except for New Haven and Middlebury had submitted complete voting results to the secretary of the state's office and Lamont maintained a comfortable lead.
