Tong wins reelection; Democrats sweep constitutional offices

Democrats win contests for Attorney General, Secretary of the State, Treasurer and Comptroller

Democrats swept the races for Connecticut’s four constitutional offices — secretary of the state, treasurer, comptroller and attorney general — reinforcing the party’s grip on the state.

As of Wednesday morning, the secretary of the state’s website showed results from about 98% of the state’s precincts.

Democrats outnumber registered Republicans nearly 2-1 in Connecticut (though unaffiliated voters outnumber them both). It’s been over two decades since a Republican held one of these offices in Connecticut.

According to unofficial results, three of the four offices will be filled by newly elected officials — Stephanie Thomas for secretary of the state, Erick Russell for treasurer and Sean Scanlon for comptroller. Attorney General William Tong, the only candidate to officially declare victory on election night, won a second term in office, raking in 57% of the vote.

“We have to be affirmative in protecting Connecticut families who are getting squeezed every day by prices that are way too high — for electricity, gasoline, home heating oil, health care and health insurance, medicine and prescription drugs,” said Tong during a nine-minute speech at the Connecticut Democrats’ Election Night party at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford.

During his first term, Tong played a key role in the multistate negotiations with the opioid industry, recovering more than $300 million in opioid settlements for Connecticut. His office also settled Sheff v. O’Neil, one of the country’s longest running school desegregation cases, which began more than 30 years ago.

The reelected attorney general also said Connecticut must “lead the way” on national battles over key issues, including gun safety laws and reproductive rights.

With 58% of the vote, Democrat Stephanie Thomas, a freshman legislator from Norwalk, defeated her Republican opponent Dominic Rapini, a marketing executive and resident of Branford.

Erick Russell, a Democrat and a partner with Pullman and Comley, defeated Republican Harry Arora, a financial services professional, in the contest to succeed retiring Treasurer Shawn Wooden. Garnering 52% of votes, Russell became the first Black LGBTQ candidate elected to statewide office.

Russell said he is committed to building on the state Capitol’s renewed focus on savings and debt management. While he has stated that Gov. Ned Lamont and the legislature’s majority have made strides towards this goal, Russell has expressed concerns over the administration’s decision to shift the burden of pension debt onto future taxpayers. Russell also spoke out against Lamont’s use of bond premiums to fund the debt service, which critics liken to using one credit card to pay off another.

And with 55% of the vote, Democratic nominee for state comptroller Sean Scanlon, 35, defeated West Hartford Republican Mary Fay.

As a member of the House of Representatives, Scanlon helped pass a one-time, $250-per-child state income tax rebate program, which sent more than $82 million to Connecticut families this summer. He said he would use the bully pulpit to continue lobbying for a permanent child tax credit and more state income tax relief for low- and middle-income households.