In one of the few Connecticut legislative primary races with early results, state Rep. Brandon McGee held off challenger Craig Stallings in the 5th House District race in Hartford and Windsor.
Early on, McGee held a commanding lead over Stallings with all but one polling location reporting. Stallings conceded by 9:30 p.m.
“I would like to congratulate Rep. McGee,” Stallings said. “This was always a uphill battle. … My purpose for running was to create a new conversation focused on accountability in our community. I believe I achieved that, and I’m excited to continue building new leadership in this great city.”
Kate Farrar defeated Sherry Haller, the Democratic-endorsed candidate, in West Hartford’s 20th House District by a margin of 2-1. The seat is being vacated by Democratic state Rep. Joe Verrengia.
On Twitter, Farrar thanked her supporters. “I appreciated everyone’s support and encouragement for our campaign,” she wrote. “We are very encouraged by today’s vote count! I look forward to getting to work very soon as a progressive champion for the 20th District!”
State Rep. Bobby Gibson beat Bloomfield Town Council member Danielle Wong in the 15th House District Democratic primary.
Around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday — with Gibson ahead — Wong said she was proud of her campaign volunteers and mentors and grateful for all those who signed the petition to get her on the ballot, but stopped short of conceding. The Associated Press has since called it for Gibson.
Democrat Mark DePonte, a Griswold doctor and the party-endorsed candidate, defeated Pamela Patalano in the 45th House District primary, which covers several towns in New London County.
DePonte faces incumbent Republican state Rep. Brian Lanoue, who defeated Democrat Steve Mikutel in the 2018 general election by just under 700 votes.
In the Democratic primary in the 24th House District in New Britain, Emmanuel “Manny” Sanchez declared victory at 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday.
“We’re ahead 60-40, and we’re just waiting for numbers from one district — I won every district,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez, the minority leader of New Britain’s common council, was the endorsed candidate of party leaders. But even his supporters credited Richard Lacourciere for running a vigorous campaign during the pandemic; Sanchez relied primarily on phone calls to voters, while Lacourciere went door to door.
“He ran very hard. I expected nothing less,” Sanchez said of Lacourciere, who’d previously run on the Democratic ticket for city council. “We’ve had good conversations that were extremely positive.”
Sanchez said Lacourciere called him to concede shortly before 9:40 p.m. There are still absentee ballots that will be arriving Wednesday and Thursday, but Sanchez said his margin of victory Tuesday was too much for Lacourciere to overcome even if he got a disproportionate share of the late-arriving votes.
Incumbent state Rep. Rick Lopes vacated the 24th House District seat to run against Republican state Sen. Gennaro Bizzaro in the 6th Senate District.
Union organizer Jorge Cabrera is leading two-term Hamden legislative Councilman Justin Farmer in the 17th Senate District, which includes parts of seven towns in New Haven County.
Cabrera is seeking a rematch against incumbent Republican Sen. George Logan, who was reelected in a hotly contested 2018 general election, beating Cabrera by less than a hundred votes. (Officials blamed human error in tallying absentee ballots for briefly showing Cabrera leading.)
Results in Connecticut’s legislative primaries were hard to come by even hours after polls closed on Tuesday, foreshadowing what many predict will be a tense vote-counting process nationwide in November.
A global pandemic, scorching summer weather, the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias and an eleventh-hour executive order by Gov. Ned Lamont conspired to keep voters home, as town registrars planned to tally votes through the end of the week.
Gov. Lamont’s executive order, signed late Monday, instructed municipalities to accept any absentee ballots postmarked by Aug. 11 and arriving by Thursday, Aug. 13.
As expected, presidential primaries were called for President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m., but the increase in absentee ballots makes many of the state’s contests difficult to predict.
Because of the two-day extension, vote counts won’t be official until Thursday at the earliest. Some town registrars believe final numbers won’t be determined until Friday.
Here are some of the races where results were far from determined Tuesday night:
Democrat Amy Morrin Bello, former Wethersfield mayor and current town council member, ran against Paul Montinieri — another former mayor — in the 28th House District primary, after incumbent Rep. Russ Morin announced he wouldn’t seek another term.
Donna Veach, a Berlin Town Council member and the GOP-endorsed candidate, ran against Southington pastor Jim Townsley in the Republican primary for the 30th House District seat, which is being vacated by House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz. Democrat JoAnn Angelico-Stetson is running in the general election.
In Meriden and Middlefield, the Rev. Ernestine Holloway and party-endorsed candidate Mike Skelps battled for the Republican nomination in House District 82 — a seat currently held by Democratic state Rep. Emil Altobello. Democrat Michael Quinn is running in the general election.
Kim Healy and William Duff squared off in the 26th Senate District Republican primary for a chance to run against Democrat state Sen. Will Haskell in the general election. The Fairfield County district was a GOP stronghold until 2018, when Haskell, 24, defeated longtime incumbent Toni Boucher.
Three-term incumbent state Sen. Marilyn Moore faced Marcus A. Brown, a two-term Bridgeport city councilman and the Democratic party-endorsed candidate, in the 22nd Senate District, which includes Trumbull, Bridgeport and Monroe. The winner will run against Republican Steven Choi in the general election.
Joseph J. Borges and Ethan Book are running in the 128 House District Republican primary.
Also in Bridgeport, Democratic state Rep. Charlie Stallworth fought off a primary challenge from former Democratic Town Committee member and mayoral candidate Tony J. Barr in the 126th House District. Republican City Councilor Lee Grisby II is on the ballot in the general election.
Ahead of the primary, the progressive Connecticut Working Families Party endorsed Morrin Bello, Gibson, Farrar and Cabrera.
Courant staff writers Steven Goode and Don Stacom contributed to this story.
Michael Hamad can be reached at mhamad@courant.com.
