Connecticut voters will decide 18 primaries on Aug. 11. Which offices and what to know

HARTFORD, Conn. - While families were preparing for summer vacations and the July 4 holiday, politicians were crisscrossing the state as they hone their messages and gear up for crucial primaries on Aug. 11.

Turnout could be better than some previous years because of high-profile primaries involving major figures in Connecticut politics: Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, along with local battles involving longtime state lawmakers like Doug McCrory of Hartford and Patricia Dillon of New Haven. The official ballot is now set with 18 contests in a variety of categories. That includes 12 primaries for state legislature, compared to 15 two years ago.

The challenges this year are rare as there has been no primary against a sitting Connecticut governor since Democrat Ella Grasso won in 1978. In addition, an incumbent Connecticut governor has not been voted out of office in the general election since 1954, when Republican John Davis Lodge lost to a young Democrat named Abe Ribicoff.

In Congress, a battle against an incumbent member of the U.S. House of Representatives has been unthinkable in Connecticut as Larson has cruised to victories for decades. Primaries are more common for an "open seat" when an incumbent decides not to seek reelection, but primaries of established figures had been unusual until recently, when younger candidates have stepped forward to challenge the Old Guard.

Lamont, 72, is facing a battle from the left with state Rep. Josh Elliott, who has blasted Lamont for not raising taxes on the state's richest residents, among other concerns. Elliott, who turns 42 next week, is seeking public financing to battle against Lamont, a Greenwich multimillionaire who has spent more than $60 million of his own money in four statewide races since 2006.

Larson, who turns 78 on July 22, is running against three younger opponents: former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin, 46; state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford, 44, and Hartford attorney Ruth Fortune, 38. Many party insiders thought Larson would cruise to victory at the party's nominating convention, but Bronin pulled a stunning upset that sent shock waves through the Connecticut political establishment. Now, four candidates are preparing for the primary after Fortune secured the necessary number of petition signatures to gain a spot on the ballot.

Besides the contests for governor, Congress and 12 legislative seats, there are two local races for probate judge in Manchester and Bridgeport.

Turnout

An ongoing problem for candidates is that the mid-August primaries are often plagued by low voter turnout. Other times, officials have been surprised at the turnout.

The biggest turnout since the August primaries began was 43% in 2006 when Lamont burst onto the political stage with a stunning primary upset against then-U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. The 43% was huge - far beyond the 25% Democratic turnout in 2010 for a statewide governor's race. Lieberman later won the general election and served for six more years in the U.S. Senate.

Long before he was governor, Lamont said after he had lost the August 2010 gubernatorial primary that he was not a fan of the midsummer contest.

"You have to give them a compelling reason to vote in an August primary," Lamont said at the time. "If you don't want a smallish group of insiders to decide the party's nominee, it shouldn't be on the hottest day in August. It certainly favors party-endorsed, insider candidates, but I don't think it's in the best interest of our democracy."

Lamont has as much experience in August primaries as anyone in the state - running major, high-profile races in 2006 and 2010. Lamont was hurt by the low turnout of 25% in 2010 as party activists and union members came out strongly for Democrat Dannel P. Malloy, who defeated Lamont. With a well-planned strategy, Malloy did a better job than Lamont at targeting his voters and getting them to the polls on that summer day.

Eight years later, Lamont won the governor's race and is now serving in his second term.

DeLauro in New Haven

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of New Haven will not be facing an August primary against Andrew Rice, 38, who has been highly critical of the longtime Congresswoman. Rice told The Courant recently that his next step is that he needs 3,290 petition signatures by Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. to gain a spot on the November ballot. Political insiders noted that it is much easier to run in November because candidates can collect signatures from voters of all political parties, rather than only Democrats for a primary.

DeLauro's campaign manager, Allison Dodge, said Monday in a statement that Rice "received barely a third of the signatures needed" to force a primary as she cited details of DeLauro's record.

"DeLauro is taking no contributions from AIPAC," Dodge said. "She did in prior years when she believed Israel was acting like a strategic partner and supportive of a two-state solution. She has repeatedly called out the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel's annexation of the West Bank."

Dodge added, "No one fights harder for middle-class and working families to get the help they need than Rosa DeLauro – this is the Congresswoman who authored the expanded, monthly Child Tax Credit, giving Americans more economic security while lifting nearly half of children out of poverty, and ensuring millions of families did not go hungry. She is also the author of the Family Act which, when passed, will guarantee American workers paid family and medical leave so they never have to choose between their paycheck and caring for themselves or their loved ones."

Races

Besides the Democratic primary for Larson's seat, there are two Republican primaries for the right to face veteran Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the 4th District in Fairfield County, Greenwich resident Michael Goldstein is facing Daniel Miressi of Norwalk for the right to face longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, who defeated U.S. Rep. Chris Shays in 2008 and has held the seat ever since.

In the 5th District, convention-endorsed candidate Chris Shea of Cheshire is running against challenger Jonathan DeBarros of Terryville. Shea, a longtime Navy SEAL, captured the endorsement during the state convention at the Mohegan Sun casino to run against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, a Wolcott Democrat.

Shea's victory was the most dramatic at the convention as Republicans suddenly discovered that they had a controversy when 218 delegates voted in the first round of balloting - but only 207 delegates had been registered on the roll, officials said. Following multiple delays, the delegates voted to amend the roll to 215 eligible voters.

After multiple "switches" by delegates who changed their votes, Shea was declared the winner with 166 votes, compared to 48 for DeBarros. In the final tally, Danbury resident Michelle Botelho had one vote and Army veteran John Bucciarelli had zero.

In his acceptance speech, Shea told the crowd of a helicopter crash that killed 31 U.S. service members when he was serving as a SEAL in 2011 in Afghanistan.

"Had the timelines switched, I was supposed to be on that helicopter," Shea told the delegates. "I've often wondered like hey, I guess I've got something to do in the world that I have not done yet. … I figured, why not? Let's throw this into the mix as well."

At the state level, longtime Sen. Doug McCrory of Hartford is locked in a three-way battle against Windsor residents state Rep. Maryam Khan and Ayana Taylor. Khan won the Democratic convention endorsement in the three-town district that also includes Bloomfield.

In New Haven, longtime Rep. Pat Dillon is facing Justin M. Farmer and Eli Sabin in a three-way race. After the retirement of state Rep. Mary Mushinsky of Wallingford, Dillon would become the longest-serving House member if she is reelected in November.

In the state's "Quiet Corner" covering Pomfret and six other towns, the Republicans will be waging a bitter primary to defeat Jadon E. MacCormack, an outspoken conservative Republican who generated a firestorm of controversy recently after strong comments that he made about the gay and transgender communities.

Republicans helped gather enough signatures to support Anthony J. Emilio of Pomfret, a Republican small business owner who has run previously for the board of selectmen, school board, and board of assessment appeals over the past 15 years. His wife, Martha, is currently serving a four-year term on the town's board of selectmen.

The comments by MacCormack prompted the entire top tier of the Republican establishment, including state party chairman Ben Proto, Senate Republican leader Stephen Harding, and the party's nominee for governor, Sen. Ryan Fazio, to call upon MacCormack to drop out of the race after he said on Facebook that he would "stand firmly against the Transgender and LGBT movement that has for far too long corrupted our families, undermined parental authority, and eroded the foundational values of our society."

But MacCormack doubled down and blasted House Republican leader Vincent Candelora, who holds the power to make committee assignments for MacCormack if he is elected.

"The House Republican leader's comments about me are absurd and reveal a profound lack of character," MacCormack wrote on social media. "There is a clear reason Connecticut is in such deep decline: too many Republicans in office have grown weak and complacent. What the party desperately needs is the bold, principled mindset that young conservatives like myself are bringing to the fight."

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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 4:05 AM.