Erin Stewart is kicking off her campaign for governor of Connecticut with an on-brand, slightly cheeky video emphasizing her blue-collar roots, her success as a Republican mayor of a Democratic city and an intention to run a “different” campaign.
Made available in advance of a formal announcement planned for Thursday, the one-minute, 42-second video on opens with a 10-second parody of a syrupy, platitude-laden campaign commercial that Stewart interrupts.
“Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second. We are not doing that this way. No political BS, just real talk,” Stewart says. “I’m Erin Stewart. I’m running for governor because the clowns in Hartford have run our state into the ground.”
Stewart, 38, who left office last week after 12 years as mayor of New Britain, is competing with state Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich for the GOP nomination to oppose the likely Democratic nominee, Gov. Ned Lamont.
She begins with money in the bank and a head start towards qualifying for public financing: As of last month, Stewart had raised nearly $360,000 through an exploratory committee opened in January and had about $290,000 cash on hand.
Lamont is expected to self-fund his reelection and opt out of the state’s voluntary Citizens’ Election Program, which imposes spending limits in return for public financing: $3.2 million for a primary and $15.4 million for the general election. Lamont spent $15.1 million on his 2018 campaign and $25.7 million on his 2022 reelection.
Unless a new deep-pocketed contender jumps into the race, Republicans are assured of a nominee with experience in elective office for the first first time since Gov. M. Jodi Rell led the ticket 20 years ago. Both Stewart and Fazio will be seeking public financing.
Two wealthy businessmen, Thomas Foley and Bob Stefanowski, were the GOP nominees for open seats in 2010 and 2018, and again in rematches four years later with the Democrats who beat them: Foley facing Dannel P. Malloy; Stefanowski challenging Lamont.
“Connecticut’s been run by the same insiders for decades. It’s the same wealthy, out-of-touch politicians who just manage our decline. It’s not good enough,” Stewart says in the video. “I’m Erin Stewart. I’m a working mom who grew up working class. My neighbors made me their Republican mayor in a Democrat city, and I delivered results in New Britain.”
The video features pictures of Stewart visiting and shaking hands with President Donald Trump in the White House, reflecting the efforts by both Stewart and Fazio to get past their recent histories as Republicans who kept their distance from Trump.
Anticipating her announcement, an independent expenditure group supportive of Fazio sent a mailing last week to selected Republican activists that attacked Stewart’s record as a mayor and member of the Board of Regents for Higher Education and described her as “anti-Trump.”
It used a portion of a quote from Stewart during Trump’s first term, when she was dismissing the ability of Democrats using the president against her: “I have no ties to them, and I’ve been pretty outspoken about not supporting Trump and about not supporting or being in favor of a lot of what he’s done and his approach.”
The mailer was sent by Hands Off Our Schools, a political action committee that spent more than $75,000 last year, most of it on advertising criticizing Fazio’s opponent in his campaign for reelection, Democrat Nick Simmons. The expenditure on the anti-Stewart mailing was modest, said Darren Bruno, chair of the group.
He said he was uncertain of how big a role it would play in 2026. One of its recent donors was Sean Fieler, a wealthy finance executive and conservative Catholic philanthropist who spent about $900,000 on independent expenditures opposing Lamont’s reelection in 2022. Fieler declined comment on his contribution plans for 2026.
Stewart is opening her formal campaign with a rebuttal of the narrative Lamont used last week in beginning his campaign for a third term: On his watch, Connecticut has stabilized its finances, cutting income taxes and using budget surpluses to fill a rainy day fund and pay down an unfunded pension liability.
“When I started as mayor of New Britain, the state and the city were struggling, and now New Britain is back on its feet. Our state is not,” Stewart says. “Connecticut is third in the nation for high taxes. Highest energy prices in New England. Jobs are hard to come by. But U-Hauls and moving companies? They’re in high demand.”
After a burst of in-migration during the COVID-19 pandemic, U-Haul reported that people leaving Connecticut made up about 52% of one-way trips in 2024, compared to 48% moving in. Stewart is correct in describing the high cost of living in Connecticut, though it preceded Lamont’s time in office.
Connecticut’s economic growth of 2.6% in 2024 ranked it 23rd among all states. Its growth of 4.6% in the second quarter of 2025 was 10th-best in the country. The state’s jobless rate is lower than the national average.
“We revived New Britain. We can revive Connecticut. This is not as good as it gets. We can demand better,” she says in the video. “Let’s try something different, and that starts with a different kind of government.”
Her description of New Britain’s revival is certain to be debated during the 2026 campaign. After an initial increase, she largely has held the line on property taxes and presided over a cut in the tax rate after revaluation. The city carries significant debt, though the outlook of bond rating agencies for New Britain has been either stable or positive.
Like other cities, New Britain is the beneficiary of considerable state aid: $151 million over the two years of the state’s current fiscal biennium. The city’s annual budget is about $273 million.
Stewart proved unbeatable in New Britain, winning every two years despite a Democratic advantage in voter registration. She did not seek reelection this month. Stewart was succeeded by a Democrat, Bobby Sanchez.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
