By Alex Johnson ’23
Election season is heating up as we head closer to the November 8th midterms. The US is in a decisive election cycle with contentiousissues ranging from abortion and education to inflation and policing. To express your opinion on these critical topics, be sure to register and vote! Currently, the House is controlled by Democrats while the Senate is tied 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris acting as the tiebreaker. With election day approaching, polls are tightening with the Republican party gaining momentum and taking the lead in many swing state races. In Connecticut, there are three big races going on in the gubernatorial, Senate, and congressional election (in CT-5 Washington’s district).
In the gubernatorial election, Democrat Ned Lamont is the incumbent governor facing off against Republican Robert Stefanowski. Lamont is from Washington D.C., has attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard and Yale and has pursued politics throughout his life. Lamont is running on issues such as balancing the budget, job creation, improving education and more. Robert Stefanowski was born in New Haven, CT to a working class family with ties to Poland. Stefanowski has a lengthy occupational background in both business and finance. Stefanowski is running for issues such as fighting inflation, lowering taxes, and fixing the economy. Since Connecticut is a strong blue state, Ned Lamont is up, according to FiveThirtyEight, 13 points on Stefanowski. Statistically, there is a 2% chance that Stefanowski wins the election.
In the Senatorial election, incumbent Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal faces off against Republican challenger Leora Levy. Blumenthal has been active in politics ever since he graduated from Yale Law School. He served as the Connecticut Attorney General, State Senator, and in 2010, he was elected into the U.S. Senate. Blumenthal is running on issues such as preventing gun violence, upholding civil rights, and fighting climate change. Leora Levy is a business woman originally from Cuba, working mostly behind the scenes in politics by helping with Republican campaigns. She has served as finance chair for campaigns and has organized rallies for many candidates. Now she is the Republican National Committeewoman for Connecticut and has been since 2016. She is running on stabilizing the economy and fixing the border crisis. Blumenthal is currently up on Levy 12.4 points, most likely meaning a Democratic victory.
In the congressional race of CT-5, where FGS reside, incumbent Democratic congresswoman Jahana Hayes faces off against Republican George Logan. Hayes has a teaching background and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. She is running on issues such as climate change and preventing gun violence. Her challenger George Logan is a small business owner and has served in the Connecticut State Senate for two terms. His number one priority is fighting inflation. He also wants to bring down gas prices. Hayes and Logan are in a surprisingly tight race: Hayes is up by one point on Logan. In past elections, CT-5 has been a Democratic stronghold, as they have won by substantial margins.
A dramatic shift in the political pendulum to the right can be seen throughout the country, with Republicans gaining momentum even as Democrats control the government. Needless to say this election cycle will be an exciting one. This cycle will have a significant impact on how policy will develop over the following two years and could influence the presidential election of 2024.
