Winners and losers in 2018 primary elections

In primary elections Tuesday, Aug. 13, Republican Bob Stefanowski beat Danbury mayor Mark Boughton and three other candidates to win the nomination for governor.

He will face Democrat Ned Lamont in the general election Nov. 6.

Lamont cruised to an easy victory over Bridgeport mayor Joe Ganim.

The voters of the 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives (which includes Northwest Connecticut) will choose between Democrat Jahana Hayes and Republican Manny Santos.

Salisbury’s Thad Gray won against state Senator Art Linares for the GOP state treasurer’s spot. Gray carried all 10 towns in the Lakeville Journal’s coverage area except Barkhamsted, where he lost by two votes. Statewide, it was Gray with 72,360 votes to Linares’ 56,936 (56-44 percent). Gray will face Democratic candidate Shawn Wooden in the general election.

GOP governor

Boughton was the state Republican party’s endorsed candidate. Statewide, Boughton had 29,410 votes (21 percent) to Stefanowski’s 40,686 votes (29 percent and change). 

The field, consisting of former Trumbull first selectman Tim Herbst, and businessmen Steve Obsitnik and David Stemerman, together amassed over 68,000 votes, just under 50 percent.

In the Northwest Corner towns of Barkhamsted, Canaan/Falls Village, Colebrook, Cornwall, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon and Winchester, Stefanowski beat Boughton 506-463.

Democratic governor

Lamont, the state Democratic party’s endorsed candidate, had no problem fending off the challenge from Ganim, who served seven years in prison on federal corruption-related charges brought following his first stint as Bridgeport mayor. Statewide, Lamont won 169,026 votes to Ganim’s 39,083 (81 to 19 percent). It was even more lopsided in Northwest Connecticut, with Lamont at 2399 votes to Ganim’s 269 (a 90-percent to 10-percent spread).

The 5th District 

Newcomer Jahana Hayes won the Democratic primary for the 5th District handily, 22,299 to 13,530 votes (62-38 percent) statewide over former Simsbury first selectman Mary Messina Glassman. 

Like Lamont, Hayes did very well in the Northwest Corner, winning by an 80 to 20 percent margin (1518 to 536, with no results available from Barkhamsted, Colebrook and Winchester as of noon, Wednesday, Aug. 15).

Former Meriden mayor Manny Santos, the endorsed candidate, won a three-way primary against Ruby Corby O’Neill and Rich DuPont with 14,959 votes, 51 percent (and change). The two losing candidates together had slightly more votes in Northwest Connecticut than Santos (453 to 442, excluding Barkhamsted, Colebrook and Winchester, as above).

U.S. Senate

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy did not have a primary challenger. 

Republican Matthew Corey beat Dominic Rapini statewide by a margin of 77 to 23 percent (98,329 to 30,091) for the right to challenge Murphy in November. Corey has run, unsuccessfully, three times for Congress from the 1st congressional District.

This story will be updated as additional results are posted on the Secretary of the State’s website.

Democratic Primary Results

Republican Primary Results