New Britain Mayor's First Ad For CT Governor Has The Internet Divided

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

Longtime New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart has unveiled her first campaign ad in her 2026 bid for Connecticut governor, just one day after officially filing to run.

In the video, Stewart, a Republican, says she wants to take on the "clowns" in Hartford.

"I'm running for governor because the clowns in Hartford have run our state into the ground," she says in her opening salvo.

Stewart contends that state leaders "attack and demean our law enforcement" and overlook crumbling infrastructure while taxes for those remain high. 

"Connecticut has been run by the same insiders for decades," she says in the ad. "The same wealthy, out-of-touch politicians who just manage our decline."

If elected, Stewart would become the first Republican governor in Connecticut since 2011, after Gov. Jodi Rell lost to Gov. Dannel Malloy. Democrat Gov. Ned Lamont has held the job since 2019, but he announced last week that he would seek a third term.

The comment section on Stewart's video was split. Some called her ad clever, saying if elected, she'd be "the best thing to happen in CT this century." Others weren't too keen.

"I would like to see leadership change, but you lost me at the Trump handshake 😵‍💫," someone else added.

"If she wasn’t interested in aligning with Trump’s version of the Republican Party, I would consider her for my vote," said another, "but bending the knee to Trump is not the way. I like Stewart very much personally but we differ politically on that one strategy."

Stewart has served as New Britain’s mayor for 12 years, but said earlier this year she would not seek another term. She formed an exploratory committee in January for a potential bid for the state’s top executive job.

She'll face State Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich in the Republican primary.

State Rep. Josh Elliott remains the sole Democrat challenging Lamont.