HARTFORD, Conn. _ Ned Lamont, the Greenwich Democratic business executive who was denied his party's nomination for governor of Connecticut in 2010, losing in a primary to Dannel P. Malloy, emerged victorious in Tuesday's primary by trouncing Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.
The race was called quickly by The Associated Press with only about 10 percent of the vote reported at 8:30 p.m.
Lamont, 64, was the prohibitive favorite, emerging from the state Democratic convention in May with more than 85 percent of the delegate vote. Fueled by a strong get-out-the-vote effort and a larger campaign war chest, Lamont crushed Ganim in numerous towns across the state.
During his 11-minute victory speech, Lamont said he did not yet know who his Republican opponent would be, but he noted that all five Republican candidates had given an "A" to President Donald J. Trump.
"These are not George and Barbara Bush Connecticut Republicans who are running," Lamont told the crowd in New Haven. "We're fighting for Connecticut values, not Trump values."
Lamont called again for hiking the minimum wage to $15 per hour and said he would push for equal pay for equal work.
"We don't need more taxes," Lamont told the enthusiastic crowd. "We need more taxpayers. ... I'm going to reduce the property tax year one. The middle class has paid enough."
Lamont will join former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz on the Democratic ticket as she defeated newcomer Eva Bermudez Zimmerman of Newtown, a 31-year-old newcomer to statewide politics.
"We're going to work hard for change, so this momentum, this energy right now, is not a sad moment," Bermudez Zimmerman told her supporters in Meriden in defeat.
Bysiewicz, 56, has suffered several political setbacks in recent years, including unsuccessful runs for governor and state attorney general in 2010 and U.S. Senate in 2012. She ran for governor again this election cycle before endorsing Lamont and signing on as his running mate.
"Connecticut needs a new direction and Ned and I are very proud to be part of the team that's going to lead the way," Bysiewicz said.
In an interview later, she said, "It's time for a new approach, a collaborative approach ... to reach across the aisle."
Asked if she was referring to the Democratic and Republican collaboration on a veto-proof budget that cut out Malloy last year, Bysiewicz said Democrats are "hoping to pick up some seats," which would preclude the need to forge a majority with Republican votes.
Ganim called Lamont shortly after 9 p.m. to congratulate him on his victory. Ganim walked into the room at Testo's Restaurant to the cheers of his supporters and the music of "Eye of the Tiger," the same song he played at his initial Bridgeport mayoral primary win in 2015 that marked the start of his astounding political comeback.
"We had a good conversation," Ganim said of his telephone call with Lamont, and he urged his campaign allies to unify behind Lamont in the general election campaign. "This state right now needs to be and can be a better place if we come together and fight to make it a better place."
Ganim said he was proud of the campaign he ran, saying he faced "Barriers we were told were insurmountable, but we charged ahead."
The Bridgeport mayor cited the fact that Lamont outspent him, and that Ganim's campaign was disqualified from receiving any public financing because of his felony corruption conviction.
"What happens with the Democratic Party is that we come together," Ganim said. "Now we are part of a larger army."
The trend for Lamont was positive from the start as the early returns Tuesday night showed Lamont winning by blowout margins of as much to 9 to 1 in Connecticut's smaller towns. With 100 percent of precincts reporting in unofficial results, Ganim won Essex by 93 percent to 7 percent, East Granby by 90 percent to 10 percent and Kent by 89 percent to 11 percent.
Glum looks immediately spread through the small crowd at Ganim's headquarters in Bridgeport as word spread that AP had declared Lamont as the winner.
Democrats clearly turned against Ganim, who spent seven years in federal prison after he was convicted on 16 felonies in a public corruption scheme during his first stint as mayor of Connecticut's largest city. In a similar rejection three months ago, Ganim did not qualify at the state convention and was forced to collect signatures from more than 15,000 registered Democrats to appear on the primary ballot.
Lamont had numerous advantages in the race, including the party's endorsement, high name recognition, more money and huge support from about 30 unions. The groups that helped Lamont in the get-out-the-vote effort came from the state's largest unions, including the state AFL-CIO, SEIU District 1199 New England, AFSCME Council 4, and the American Federation of Teachers.
By contrast, Ganim had the support from only four union locals with a combined membership of 10,000 workers.
Lamont also has sky-high name recognition from running in three statewide primaries over the past 12 years, including defeating U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in the August 2006 primary before losing in the general election.
Just minutes after Lamont was declared the winner, the fall campaign began at 8:34 p.m. Tuesday when the Republican Governors Association attacked Lamont and compared him to Malloy, whose poll ratings show he is the least popular governor in the country.
"After nearly eight years of job losses, fiscal chaos, and economic decline under failed Governor Dan Malloy, Connecticut Democrats have nominated Ned Lamont, an out-of-touch politician who has promised, if elected, to continue Dan Malloy's failed policies," said RGA spokesman Jon Thompson. "Connecticut desperately needs a governor who will turn the page on the Dan Malloy era, but Ned Lamont would only continue it for a third term."
