Updated at 11:30pm
Political rookie Jahana Hayes has pulled off an upset in the Democratic primary in the 5th Congressional District. Her opponent Mary Glassman conceded the race, congratulating Hayes as a "tough competitor" who ran a good race. Hayes is a former National Teacher of the Year. She will face former Meriden mayor Manny Santos in November.
The Democratic primary race for governor was the first called by the Associated Press Tuesday night, as endorsed candidate Ned Lamont trounced his opponent, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, 85 percent to 15 percent.
Lamont will be joined on the Democratic ticket by his chosen running mate, Susan Bysiewicz, a former secretary of the state. She beat insurgent candidate Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, a labor organizer from Newtown.
The Lamont/Bysiewicz ticket will be up against a Republican ticket of Bob Stefanowski and Joe Markley. Former GE executive Stefanowski, from Madison, bested his four opponents in a crowded field. Danbury mayor Mark Boughton came in second. Former state Representative Joe Markley beat out New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, and Darien First Selectwoman Jayme Stevenson.
In the race for attorney general, Republican Sue Hatfield will face off against Democrat William Tong in November.
And in the race for state treasurer, Democrat Shawn Wooden claimed victory, while Thad Gray clinched the ballot spot for the GOP.
With the governorship up for grabs in November, some Connecticut Republicans were considering leadership as they headed to the polls Monday.
Brendan Foley voted at Farmington High School. He said there’s a socialist trend developing within the Democratic party.
“I just don’t believe in socialists. I believe in capitalism,” he said.
Lia Ficks was a first-time voter. She’s going to study political science at George Washington in the fall. Ficks said immigration is the most important issue in the current political landscape.
“If they want all the democratic rights and the right to vote and to work here, and live under our laws, then I definitely think you should be legal," she told Connecticut Public Radio.
Employment was on the minds of primary day voters at the Burns Elementary School in Hartford. The Frog Hollow Neighborhood was once a booming industrial center, but it's now one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, with the U.S. Census Bureau reporting the average household income in Frog Hollow is under $30,000 per year.
Sergio Melendez has lived in Hartford for 22 years and works in cleaning services.
“Yeah, I need to raise the minimum wage,” he said as he voted at Burns.
Carmelo Rosario hasn’t been in Hartford as long as Melendez has, but said he felt the same way about turning out to vote.
“I just want something changing in Hartford," Rosairo said. "See if they can do anything more about the people on the street, see if we can get all these people working."
In Bridgeport, Darlene Jones said three key issues brought her out to vote today. "Crime. The schools. Taxes," she listed. "Definitely taxes. That’s why I said let me come out and vote and make a difference.”
Paul Burnette is a Republican from Enfield. His biggest concern is Connecticut's fiscal health. "The big thing is building the economy in Connecticut and bringing it back so that we bring jobs back in and we have people staying here, and we get out of the deficit," he said.
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