Politics & Government

Malloy Bests Lamont in Gubernatorial Primary

The former Stamford mayor defeats the Greenwich businessman by a substantial margin, rounding off a significant comeback.

Former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy has won the Democratic primary for governor of Connecticut, edging out businessman Ned Lamont by an unexpectedly wide margin.

With 59 percent of precincts reporting, Malloy was holding a 58 percent to 42 percent lead over Lamont, who conceded tonight in Bridgeport. In Westport, 934 votes were cast for Malloy as opposed to 742 for Lamont.

Mary Glassman, Lamont's unofficial running mate for lieutenant governor, also conceded to comptroller Nancy Wyman, who will run alongside Malloy in November. In Westport, Wyman earned 1,027 votes while Glassman earned 548.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The result caps a race in which Lamont had consistently led the polls since January, only to watch his margin erode in recent weeks. The last Quinnipiac Poll before the election showed Lamont leading Malloy, 45 percent to 42 percent.

"I called up Dan a few minutes ago, and I congratulated him. I congratulated him on a forceful and disciplined campaign," Lamont told supporters, issuing an impassioned plea for Democrats to unite behind Malloy.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"If I had known it was going to turn out this way, I would have gotten a bigger room," Malloy told a room full of supporters in Hartford over chants of his name.

The victory represents a rebound for Malloy, who narrowly lost the gubernatorial nomination to New Haven mayor John DeStefano, Jr., in 2006.

"We are going to go on from this day forward to Nov. 2 and wage an aggressive campaign on behalf of the people.  ... This campaign and the next admin begins by telling the truth to the people of Connecticut," Malloy said.

In May, Malloy earned the endorsement of the Connecticut Democratic convention over Lamont, but Lamont received sufficient support to force a primary.

Malloy, 55, is a Stamford native and a graduate of Boston College, where he earned both a B.A. and a J.D. After graduating, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn and, later, at a private law firm in Stamford. Malloy served Stamford's Board of Finance before upsetting incumbent mayor Stanley Esposito in 1995.


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