Mayoral elections in Hartford, Connecticut

Mayor-elect Pilgard died at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford (Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center) on November 14, 1935.[5] On December 3, 1935, by a 14-6 vote, the city council chose Thomas J. Spellacy to finish Pilgard's term in office.[6]

Mayor Spellacy was also endorsed by the Socialist Party and Union Party tickets.

Mayor O'Connor was also endorsed by the Socialist Party ticket. He received 22,970 votes on the Democratic Party ballot line and 195 votes on the Socialist Party ballot line. In July 1943, O'Connor had replaced Mayor Thomas J. Spellacy, who had resigned.[11][12]

Turnout was approximately 59% of the 82,700 eligible voters.[13] Mayor Moylan died in office in late December 1946. By a 15-4 vote, the city council chose Edward N. Allen to finish Moylan's term in office.[14]

On November 4, 1947, the voters elected a nine-member city council in a non-partisan election. The council was tasked with selecting a city manager.[15]

The Democratic primary was held on September 11.

• George A. Athanson, incumbent mayor
• Nicholas R. Carbone, deputy mayor[16]

The city's Democratic committee endorsed Carbone for election ahead of the primary.[17]

Anthanson won by a large margin. The slate for the Democratic nominations for city council he had backed, which was regarded as the "weaker" slate by political observers, also won election.[18]

Turnout was over 46%.[18]

Hartford's Republican Town Chairman Joseph P. Mozzicato attempted to make sure no Republican nominee would run for the mayoralty, seeing the mayoral election as a losing race, and preferring to spend the party's money focussing on the City Council election. Registered Republican voters comprised only 7,000 of Hartford's roughly 140,000 residents.[20] The Republican Party, however, ultimately nominated Michael T. McGarry.[16]

• William E. Glynn (Democrat), former mayor (1961–1965)[16]
• Joseph Mazzafera (Independent)[16]

• Donna C. McDonald (U.S. Labor Party)[16]

• George A. Athanson, incumbent mayor
• Robert F. Ludgin, deputy mayor and city councilor[25][26]
• Thirman L. Milner, Connecticut state representative[25]
• Johanna C. Murphy, community activist[26]

Incumbent mayor George A. Athanson won the initial primary held on September 8, defeating runner-up Milner by a mere 94 votes.[25] This result would ultimately be nullified in court.

Heading into the election, Athanson was regarded to be a well-liked figure in the city.[26]

Milner's strong performance regarded as a surprise, outperforming polls and many expectations.[26] One Hartford Courant poll ahead of the primary had shown Athanson leading Milner by a much greater 14-point margin (35% to 21%).[27]

The result had largely corresponded to racial lines, with Milner performing well in the predominantly black North End (where he lived), and with Athanson and Ludgin splitting the predominantly white South End.[28][26] Murphy had performed her best in the liberal West End of the city (where she lived).[28][26] Athanson performed well in the South End of the city.[26] However, he underperformed on the North End, and lost the West End to Murray.[26] Milner performed strongly in the North End of the city, and had some strong performances in some parts of the West End.[26] In the Blue Hills portion of Hartford, Milner routed Athanson.[26]

Ludgin, elected in 1977 to The Hartford City Council as an outsider, had made many enemies and put-off many voters through his aggressive leadership style in his two years in office.[26] Murray, a community activist, was a first-time candidate for elected office.[26]

Unlike in 1979, the city's Democratic committee endorsed Athanson for reelection ahead of the primary.[17]

Voting irregularities in the September 8 Democratic primary led Connecticut Superior Court judge Douglass B. Wright to order a rerun of the Democratic primary to take place on October 13, after Milner brought a challenge to the court and city officials and Athanson agreed in court to allow a rerun.[29][25][28]

In the rerun of the primary, Milner defeated incumbent mayor George A. Athanson, in large part, due to a very strong showing in the city's North End.[23]

Michael T. McGarry won the Republican primary. He defeated Donald B. LaCroix. LaCroix had been endorsed by the city's Republican Party organization ahead of the primary.[26] LaCroix had a record of running losing campaigns for elected office.[26] McGarry had been the more known figure of the two.[26]

• Robert F. Ludgin (Democrat)[23]

Milner continued to receive strong support from the city's North Side, winning 90% of the roughly 9,500 votes cast there in the general election.[23]

The Democratic primary was held on September 10.

Ahead of the Democratic primary, the city's Democratic Party organization endorsed Robert J. Jackson over the incumbent mayor Carrie Saxon Perry.[30] Perry had gone against the city's Democratic machine and ran her own slate of candidates for City Council in the coinciding city council primaries, which ultimately prevailed over all of the incumbents they were challenging.[30]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[32]

• Yolanda Castillo, Hartford City Council majority leader[33]
• Henrietta S. Milward, deputy mayor[33]
• Carrie Saxon Perry, incumbent mayor[33]
• Michael P. Peters, firefighter[33]

Incumbent mayor Carrie Saxon Perry won renomination, carrying a plurality, with 35% of the vote, defeating three opponents. She carried 10 of the 27 precincts for the election.[34] Her margin of victory over runner-up Peters was roughly 700 votes. Turnout comprised roughly 35% of the city's registered Democrats.[35]

Peters was a firefighter who had previously considered an independent run for mayor in the 1991 mayoral general election, but was dissuaded that year after Perry won that year's Democratic primary by a significant margin.[36]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[37]

• Kennth A. Mink (Independent)[37]
• Michael P. Peters, firefighter (Democrat)
• Nora Wyatt Jr., reverend (Independent)[37]

Facing the strong prospect of a loss to Peters, a white candidate, the black Perry brought in several notable black national political figures, such as Carol Moseley Braun and Jesse Jackson, to endorse her. Perry's supporters, at a rally featuring Jackson, distributed flyers which implied that Peters would undo the last decade of progress for the city's black populace.[38]

Perry also received endorsements from mayors of other Connecticut municipalities, such as Bridgeport's Joseph Ganim, New Haven's John C. Daniels and West Haven's Richard Borer.[39] She also received the endorsement of John DeStefano Jr., the Democratic nominee in the coinciding New Haven mayoral election.[39]

While Perry and her supporters adopted the tactic of attacking Peters, Peters largely went without even mentioning Perry, instead focusing on promoting his proposals for the city.[40]

Peters unseated Perry, becoming the first independent to become mayor of Hartford since at least 1953.[41]

Peters benefited from strong support and turnout among the city's white electorate. Turnout in the city's white South End wards averaged 60%, while the citywide turnout only averaged 45%. In the three most predominantly white precincts on the city's South End, Peters won 90% of the vote.[38] Peters also received more support in precincts located in the predominantly black North End than most white candidates had managed to receive there in election over the previous decade, receiving roughly 20% of the vote in those precincts.[38]

Peters carried 19 districts. Perry carried 8 voting districts, most of them being in the North Side.[41]

Incumbent mayor Michael P. Peters defeated city councilwoman Elizabeth Horton Sheff in the Democratic primary.

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.

• Elizabeth Horton Sheff (Democrat), city councilwoman[44]

For only the second time in two decades, Hartford did not have a competitive Democratic primary. Activist Kenneth Mink, who had been an announced challenger of incumbent Mike Peters, failed to file on time the proper forms to run against him in the Democratic primary. The last two times that there had been no competitive primary for the Democratic mayoral nomination were 1989 and 1977.[46]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[47]

The Pro Hartford Party opted against running a candidate.[46]

• Kenneth Mink, activist and 1993 mayoral candidate

Michael P. Peters received the endorsement of the Hartford Courant.[48]

Michael P. Peters won every precinct in the city.[49]

Incumbent Michael P. Peters defeated Juan Morales in the Democratic primary.[51] Morales was a tax and banking consultant who worked with insurance companies.[49] Morales was a relative political newcomer, whose previous political experience included running unsuccessfully for Hartford City Council in 1995.[49]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[47]

• W. Michael Downes, 1995 mayoral candidate

The Democratic primary took place on September 11, 2001, the same day as the September 11 attacks.[55]

Ahead of the primary, Eddie A. Perez received the endorsement of the city's Democratic Party organization.[55]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[56]

The Libertarian Party nominated Richard Lion.[56]

• W. Michael Downes, 1995 and 1999 mayoral candidate
• Robert F. Ludgin (Democrat)
• Kenneth A. Mink, activist; 1993 and 1997 mayoral candidate
• Nora Wyatt, Jr

Perez won renomination unopposed, in a Democratic Party primary in which 6,267 votes were cast (21% of the city's registered Democrats).[57]

The Republican Party nominated Michael T. McGarry, who had run before.

The Libertarian Party nominated Richard Lion, who was also the party's nominee in the 2001 mayoral election.

• Thirman L. Milner, former mayor (1981–1987)[58]

The Democratic primary was held on September 11.

• Frank Barrows, former Connecticut state senator[60]
• Art Feltman, Connecticut state representative[61][62]
• I. Charles Matthews, lawyer, former Hartford City Council leader, former deputy mayor[60][61][62]
• Eddie Perez, incumbent mayor

Disqualified from ballot

• Minnie Gonzalez, Connecticut state representative[60][61]

A large focus of the primary campaign was how Perez had become so dominant in the city's politics.[60]

One of the concerns of the primary campaign was that Perez was facing a criminal investigation relating to the remodeling of his home by a city contractor and deals involving city parking lots.[60] Perez apologized for the home-improvement arrangement, and placed one of the parking lot deals back out to bid.[60] In August, criminal investigators raided Perez's house.[63]

Turnout in the Democratic primary was approximately 25% of the city's registered Democrats.[60][63]

Perez performed well in the city's South End and West End, but lost a number of North End precincts.[60]

The Republican Party nominated James Stanley McCauley.[60] McCauley was a minister who had a public-access television show.[60]

• Rual DeJesus (Democrat)[61]
• Minnie Gonzalez (Democrat), Connecticut state representative
• I. Charles Matthews (Democrat), lawyer, former Hartford City Council leader, former deputy mayor
• Thirman L. Milner (Independent), former mayor (1981–1987)[60][65]

• Art Feltman (Democrat), Connecticut state representative[61]
• Patrice Smith (Democrat), reverend and youth advocate[61]

Winning the Democratic primary in Hartford is generally considered tantamount to election.[60] However, fourteen years earlier, independent Michael P. Peters, who served as mayor from 1993 through 2001, had first won election as a petitioning candidate in the general election, after having failed to win the Democratic primary over then-incumbent Carrie Saxon Perry.[60][63] Registered Democrats in Hartford numbered 30,039, unaffiliated voters numbered 10,454, and Republicans numbered 1,932.[60]

Despite his controversies, Perez received endorsements from Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal, Democratic state chairwoman Nancy DiNardo, Connecticut state comptroller Nancy Wyman.[63]

Former mayor Michael P. Peters endorsed the candidacy of I. Charles Matthews.[61]

Since launching his candidacy in January 2007, Perez had vastly out fundraised and outspent his opponents, raising $593,000 by the end of October.[66] He spent most of the money raised, with only $54,500 of it remaining unspent by the end of October.[66] He spent on consultants, mailers, and in excess of $150,000 in television advertisements.[66] I. Charles Matthews had raised $131,00 by the end of October, though $88,000 of it was self-funding.[66] Minnie Gonzalez raised $56,000 by the end of October.[66] By the end of October, Rual De Jesus had raised $8,000, Thurman Milner had raised $7,000, and J. Stan McCauley had raised $3,000.[66]

Incumbent Democrat Pedro Segarra won renomination.

The Republican Party did not nominate a candidate, and instead cross-endorsed incumbent Democrat Pedro Segarra.[73]

• James Stanley McCauley, 2007 mayoral candidate
• Patrice Smith
• Edwin Vargas, Jr.

The Democratic primary was held on September 15.[75][76]

Ahead of the primary, held on Luke Bronin had won the endorsement of the Democratic primary.[75] He defeated incumbent mayor Pedro Segarra in the primary.

Bronin outspent Segarra by a margin of 3 to 1.[77] Bronin had raised $800,000 in his primary campaign.[77]

Turnout in the Democratic primary was approximately 26%.[78]

Theodore T. Cannon won the Republican nomination.

• Joel Cruz, Jr. (independent), city councilman[79]
• Patrice Smith

Hartford is a highly Democratic city; therefore, Bronin was anticipated to win the general election.[76]

The Democratic primary was held on September 10.[82] The race had been considered competitive.[82] Incumbent mayor Luke Bronin defeated former mayor Eddie Perez and state representative Brandon McGee in the Democratic primary.[82]

Turnout in the Democratic primary was approximately 22%.[78]

Democratic primary results by voting district.
Bronin:      80-90%      70-80%      60-70%      50-60%      40-50%
Tie:      Tie
Perez:      <50%     50–60%

Republicans cross endorsed candidate J. Stan McCauley, who had been running as an independent. This came despite McCauley identifying himself to be a Democrat.[78][84] McCauley had twice before been a candidate for mayor.[78]

Aaron Lewis, founder and director of the Scribe's Institute,[85] changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Libertarian few months before the election.[86]

• W. Michael Downes
• Giselle Gigi Jacobs
• Aaron Lewis (Libertarian)
• Eddie Perez, former mayor (2001–2010)[84][87]

• Tylon R. Butler

The Democratic primary was held on September 12. Arunan Arulampalam was endorsed by both the Hartford Democratic Party and outgoing Mayor Bronin ahead of the primary.[91][92] He defeated former state Superior Court justice Eric Coleman and state senator John Fonfara in the primary.

• Arunan Arulampalam, former deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection[93]

• Eric Coleman, former Connecticut Superior Court justice and former state senator[94]
• John Fonfara, state senator[95]

• Renardo Dunn, pastor[96]
• Tracy Funnye[96]
• Giselle Jacobs, activist and entrepreneur[97]
• Nick Lebron, city councilor[98]
• J. Stan McCauley, broadcaster[97]

• Luke Bronin, incumbent mayor[90]

Mike McGarry was unopposed for the Republican nomination.[100]

Jacobs, Lebron, and McCauley all successfully petitioned their way onto the ballot after failing to make the Democratic primary ballot.

• Mark Stewart Greenstein, attorney and perennial candidate[100]
• Giselle Jacobs, activist and entrepreneur[100]
• Nick Lebron, city councilor[100]
• J. Stan McCauley, broadcaster[100]

Official campaign websites

• Arunan Arulampalam (D) for Mayor
• Eric Coleman (D) for Mayor
• John Fonfara (D) for Mayor
• Giselle Jacobs (D) for Mayor
• J. Stan McCauley (D) for Mayor
• Nick Lebron (D) for Mayor