Lamont invests $9.5 million of personal funds in reelection bid
Two veteran Democratic incumbents in Connecticut face strong challenges in Tuesday’s state primary. Gov. Ned Lamont, running for a third term, must first clear a challenge from state Rep. Josh Elliott.
The contest comes as elements within the party look to redefine the Democratic brand ahead of the midterm elections by replacing veteran incumbents with younger challengers.
Lamont, a wealthy former cable entrepreneur, has far outspent Elliott, thanks to $9.5 million in personal funds he has invested in his campaign. Elliott has received about $3.8 million from the state’s public election funding program. Both candidates have raised just shy of $400,000 in contributions from individual donors.
A primary upset by Elliott, along with additional Tuesday primaries in Minnesota and Wisconsin, could extend a winning streak that began this summer with the defeat of Democratic incumbents in New York City and Colorado and continued with a high-stakes victory in the Michigan U.S. Senate primary on August 4.
Tuesday’s results in Connecticut, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will show whether that streak extends.