The Promises and Pitfalls of Primaries
CT's Political Landscape 2026
The 2026 Connecticut Midterm Elections: A New Era of Competition
The 2026 Connecticut midterm elections promise to be reality TV at its finest, with both the Democrat and Republican political parties, aka known as the “good ole boys” network faces challenges from diverse candidates, women, and highly competitive primaries. This raises the fundamental question: do both parties truly want the best candidate to win, or will in-house fighting and political shenanigans once again sideline voters and taxpayers’ voices, as seen in previous election cycles?
Party primaries are meant to foster healthy competition. These are opportunities for courageous candidates - especially underdogs and younger candidates- to test their ideas and refine their messages in direct response to the people’s will for the future of Connecticut. The goal is to earn every voter’s trust and support ahead of the general election. Ideally, this process should exemplify fairness and democracy in action, providing an open political landscape free from retaliation and favoritism.
Understanding Connecticut Primary Elections
As a Connecticut resident, taxpayer, and voter, it is crucial that voters, especially within urban, rural, and marginalized communities, become more informed.
Civic Lesson 101: What exactly is a primary?
In Connecticut, a primary election allows registered voters of a political party to choose which candidate from their party will appear on the ballot for the November general election. In 2026, the primary election will take place on Tuesday, August 11, with early voting available from August 3rd to August 9th. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Races to Watch: Republicans/GOP/Conservatives
All races and elections are significant because elected officials represent local, state, and federal issues with an understanding that politics is mostly local because, as the former Representative Porter used to say, “the people closest to the problem are the ones with the solutions”.
In my opinion, the late scheduling of primaries tends to leave voters and party delegates divided for too long, which is unfair. This prolonged division can create noise and rhetoric, causing low propensity and undecided voters to disengage, ultimately leaving constituents vulnerable to re-electing candidates who have repeatedly not represented their interests.
The Republican gubernatorial races, featuring candidates such as Erin Stewart, Ryan Fazio, and Betsy McCaughey, have already caused division within the GOP.
Additionally, Republicans face tough congressional races, as the last Republican to hold a U.S. House seat from Connecticut was Chris Shays, who lost in 2008. This loss ended Republican representation in the state’s congressional delegation. Furthermore, Connecticut has not had a Republican U.S. Senator since Lowell Weicker was reelected in 1982, highlighting the uphill battle for Republican candidates in the state.
Races to Watch: Democrats
On the Democratic side, change is imminent, especially in Middletown. The Democrats, who are allergic to primaries, will be challenged with a primary against incumbent Senator Matt Lesser.
It takes courage to run for public office, and Ms. Anita Ford Saunders, president of the Middlesex County NAACP, is leading this challenge, representing a branch recognized as strong and bold by community members. Please note that she is more than her NAACP title. She is a wife, mother, community leader, and long-time Connecticut public relations advisor and journalist.
Senator Matt Lesser has been Middletown’s favored candidate across racial lines since 2008, when he was elected at age 25 to the Connecticut House of Representatives for the 100th district. He was elected as a Senator in 2019. However, in 2023, he drew a line in the sand, thus changing his longstanding appeal across racial lines.
Matt Lesser’s 2023 “Cinderella–Pumpkin” Moment
Senator Matt Lesser has been a member of the Connecticut Black and Puerto Rican Caucus (BPRC) since 2013. However, his involvement may soon end, not by his own choice.
On June 8, 2023, the State NAACP held a press conference in support of CPrep Middletown, which had bipartisan backing. Later that evening, just before midnight, a Cinderella moment occured and it changed Middletown’s Black community to pumpkins at midnight. Senator Lesser and colleagues pulled out all funding from the school, leaving many students and families without expanded educational opportunities.
On January 14, an online petition initiated by Black parents and community leaders called for his removal from the caucus. The petition was motivated by concerns over Senator Lesser’s last-minute withdrawal of funding for Capital Preparatory Charter School (CPREP), which would have been Middletown’s first charter school.
The funding, initially allocated by the Appropriations Committee in April 2023, included $200,000 for the 2024 school year and $4.75 million for the following year. However, at 11:48 PM on the final day of the session, all funding was abruptly rescinded. Petitioners allege that Senator Lesser and his colleagues withdrew support for the school, negatively impacting the education of Middletown’s most vulnerable children.
Gwen Samuel, the petition’s author, stated that Senator Lesser’s votes have harmed the academic needs of vulnerable children, arguing that he should not be in the caucus if he acts against the interests of Black and Puerto Rican children and families. The NAACP, both statewide and in Middlesex County, strongly denounced the funding cut as racially motivated and as an eleventh-hour effort to restrict educational options for Black and brown children.
Senators Lesser and former Senator Jan Hochadel clearly led the charge to obstruct the school’s progress. Former Senator Hochadel, also the president of the Connecticut American Federation of Teachers (AFT), has publicly opposed charter schools. She had a voting record that pledged to oppose any legislation that would expand charter schools. Senator Lesser has made a similar pledge and has received financial backing from big labor in the past, although he is not a union employee.
The Importance of Informed Voting and Civic Engagement
Voting for a candidate based on emotions or personal relationships, like attending church or cook-outs together, should be a thing of the past. Instead, it is time to support courageous underdog candidates who value your points of view and agree to represent your interests in messy partisan politics.
I am not encouraging you to vote for underdogs simply because they are underdogs, but because they may represent the change needed to improve legislative fiscal oversight, which may lead to safer communities.
The world is evolving; as a result, change deserves a chance. Emotional voting can keep communities stuck with career politicians who prioritize their own agendas, egos, ideologies, and the stereotype that Blacks are victims in need of saving rhetoric, rather than the needs of all constituents.
Becoming informed voters—putting our own needs, those of our families, and our communities first—is especially important during times of ongoing mismanagement, abuse, and waste of tax dollars under a supermajority that leaves many taxpayers behind in certain zip codes and communities. How you vote NOW matters more than ever!
Launching Civic Rise CT: A New Community-Led Initiative
Dr. Amy Chai, A congressional candidate for Congressional District 1, stated during the launch of her campaign on January 22, 2026 - I paraphrase, if you bring a problem to me, offer a solution as well. I am offering a solution.
Stay tuned for the launch of Civic Rise CT, a nonpartisan year-round civic engagement initiative in Connecticut dedicated to increasing participation among low-propensity voters. Voter turnout in local and municipal elections continues to lag, especially in urban centers and surrounding communities, among residents who feel disconnected from the political process. Civic Rise CT aims to focus on civic education, informed voting, and restoring confidence in participation at the local level.