Primary Day Brings Top Leaders to New Britain

Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT) and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D-CT) were among the top leaders in attendance at polls on Tuesday’s primary, as voters registered as Republicans and Democrats voted for their parties nominees for a number of offices.

Both Republicans and Democrats went to the polls statewide in the August 9, 2022 primary, for voters registered to vote in primaries deciding their respective parties nominations for the November elections.

Republican registered voters cast ballots to pick a nominee for United States Senate to challenge U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in the November general elections.

With nearly 80% of precincts statewide reporting results, at 11:19pm on primary night, former state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides (R), who was endorsed by the Republican State Convention, had 40.13% of the vote, while, challenger Leora Levy had 50.43% and challenger Peter Lumaj had 9.44%. In New Britain, local results show Klarides with 245 votes, Levy with 352 votes and Lumaj with 96.

Secretary of the State was on the ballot for both parties this year, and State Treasurer for the Democrats. Secretary of the State is the state’s top election official, an office that has taken on more importance amid groundless Republican innuendos about voter fraud and the false casting of doubt on the election of President Joe Biden in 2020. State Treasurer is the office responsible for state investments and pension funds. Socially responsible investing and equity are key issues for Democrats seeking to succeed Treasurer Shawn Wooden who stepped down after serving one four-year term.

As of 11:19pm on primary night, the endorsed Republican candidate for Secretary of the State, Dominic Rapini, had 57.84% of the vote statewide, while challenger for the nomination, State Rep. Terrie Wood, had 42.16%. Local New Britain vote totals show Rapini with 386 votes and Wood with 262. Brock Weber, known in New Britain as an aide to Republican Mayor Erin Stewart, appeared on the ballot, though he withdrew from the campaign amid a State Elections Enforcement Commission investigation into his campaign finances.

In the Democratic primary for Secretary of the State, as of 11:20pm on primary night, with nearly 70% of the precincts reporting, State Rep. Stephanie Thomas of Norwalk, the party-endorsed candidate, had 77.53% of the vote statewide, while New Haven Public Health Director Maritza Bond, the challenger, had 22.47%. New Britain results appeared to show Thomas with 1,036 locally, with Bond receiving 499 votes.

In the race for the Democratic nomination for State Treasurer, as of 11:20pm on primary night, New Haven Attorney Erick Russell, the endorsed candidate, had 57.30% of the vote statewide, while challengers Dita Bhargava had 23.69% and Karen Dubois-Walton had 19.01%. Locally, in New Britain, Russell received 864 votes, Bhargava received 318 and Dubois-Walton received 333.

The vote totals reported here are either as reported by or confirmed by the unofficial results reported by the Secretary of the State’s office.