Governor of Connecticut

Connecticut Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$150,000
2024 FY Budget:	$4,004,000
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Governor of Connecticut Ned Lamont Democratic Party Assumed office: 2019-01-09
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other Connecticut Executive Offices
Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Secretary of State•Attorney General•Treasurer•Comptroller•Commissioner of Education•Agriculture Commissioner•Insurance Commissioner•Energy & Environmental Protection Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Public Utilities Regulatory Authority

The Governor of the State of Connecticut is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Connecticut.

The current Connecticut Constitution, ratified in 1965, establishes a four-year term for the governor, commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in the January following an election.

The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor, for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket, a provision added in 1962. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Before the adoption of the 1965 constitution, the lieutenant governor only served as acting governor.

Connecticut has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

Connecticut has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: Connecticut State Legislature, Connecticut House of Representatives, Connecticut State Senate

Current officeholder

The 89th and current governor of Connecticut is Ned Lamont (D). He was first elected in November 2018 and took office on January 9, 2019.

Authority

The state constitution establishes the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5

The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor.

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

All gubernatorial candidates must be at least 30 years old and a qualified elector and resident of Connecticut on the day of the election (§ 5).

Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5

The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor. No person who is not an elector of the state, and who has not arrived at the age of thirty years, shall be eligible.

To be a qualified elector, a voter must be at least 18 years old and a resident.

Connecticut Constitution, Article VI, Section 1

Every citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, who is a bona fide resident of the town in which he seeks to be admitted as an elector and who takes such oath, if any, as may be prescribed by law, shall be qualified to be an elector.

Elections

Connecticut state government organizational chart

See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state

See also: Election of governors

Connecticut elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For Connecticut, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the first Monday in the January following an election.

Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 1

A general election for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of the state, treasurer and comptroller shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1966, and quadrennially thereafter.

Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 1

Such officers shall hold their respective offices from the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding their election until the Wednesday following the first Monday of the fifth January succeeding their election and until their successors are duly qualified.'

2022

See also: Connecticut gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Connecticut

Incumbent Ned Lamont defeated Bob Stefanowski, Robert Hotaling, and Michelle Louise Bicking in the general election for Governor of Connecticut on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ned Lamont (D / Working Families Party / Griebel Frank for CT Party)	56.0	710,186
		Bob Stefanowski (R)	43.0	546,209
		Robert Hotaling (Independent Party)	1.0	12,400
		Michelle Louise Bicking (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	98

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,268,893
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Aaron Lewis (L)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ned Lamont advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Connecticut.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Bob Stefanowski advanced from the Republican primary for Governor of Connecticut.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Susan Patricelli Regan (R)
• Themis Klarides (R)

2018

See also: Connecticut gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Connecticut

Ned Lamont defeated Bob Stefanowski, Oz Griebel, Rod Hanscomb, and Mark Stewart Greenstein in the general election for Governor of Connecticut on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ned Lamont (D)	49.4	694,510
		Bob Stefanowski (R)	46.2	650,138
		Oz Griebel (Griebel Frank for CT Party)	3.9	54,741
		Rod Hanscomb (L)	0.4	6,086
		Mark Stewart Greenstein (Amigo Constitution Party)	0.1	1,254
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	74

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,406,803
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kameron Scott (Independent)
• Micah Welintukonis (Independent)
• Thomas Ford (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Connecticut

Ned Lamont defeated Joe Ganim in the Democratic primary for Governor of Connecticut on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ned Lamont	81.2	172,567
		Joe Ganim	18.8	39,976

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 212,543
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jonathan Harris (D)
• Lee Whitnum (D)
• Betheona Guiles-Smith (D)
• Guy Smith (D)
• Jacey Wyatt (D)
• Luke Bronin (D)
• Sean Connolly (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Connecticut

Bob Stefanowski defeated Mark Boughton, David Stemerman, Tim Herbst, and Steve Obsitnik in the Republican primary for Governor of Connecticut on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bob Stefanowski	29.4	42,041
		Mark Boughton	21.3	30,475
		David Stemerman	18.3	26,177
		Tim Herbst	17.5	25,063
		Steve Obsitnik	13.4	19,102

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 142,858
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Eric Mastroianni (R)
• David Walker (R)
• Antonietta Boucher (R)
• Dave Walker (R)
• Peter Thalheim (R)
• Joseph Visconti (R)
• Mark Lauretti (R)
• Peter Lumaj (R)
• Prasad Srinivasan (R)
• Scott Merrell (R)
• Michael Handler (R)

2014

See also: Connecticut Gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Dan Malloy/Nancy Wyman Incumbent	50.7%	554,314
	Republican	Tom Foley/Heather Somers	48.2%	526,295
	Independent	Joe Visconti/Chester Harris	1%	11,456
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	708
Total Votes				1,092,773
Election results via Connecticut Secretary of State

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

Connecticut governors do not have term limits.

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Connecticut governors from 1992 to 2013.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

The vacancy procedure for the office of governor Article IV, Sections 18, 19, and 21.

Under any circumstances where the elected governor is unable or unwilling to discharge the office, the elected lieutenant governor shall, as soon as he takes the oath of office, become the governor and hold the office until the next regularly scheduled election.

Duties

The Governor of Connecticut is responsible for upholding the constitution and faithfully executing all laws (Article 4, § 12), is the head of Connecticut's military forces at all times other than when those forces have been called into national service (§ 8). Under § 11, the governor must periodically address the joint session of the legislature with details of the current state of Connecticut's affairs and suggestions for policy.

§ 13 gives the governor the prerogative to grant reprieves after conviction. However, Connecticut stands out from other states in that the governor does not have the ability to grant pardons. Additionally, the right to grant reprieves does not extend to cases of impeachment.

Under § 15 and § 16, the governor has a veto on all bills, including appropriations, subject to a supermajority override by the legislature.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• adjourning the legislature when the body cannot agree on a time to adjourn itself, until a date the governor deems proper (§ 10)

• requiring written reports from any and all officers of the Executive branch on any aspect of that officer's job (§ 9)

• authorizing and signing all commissions given by the state of Connecticut (§ 14)

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Connecticut has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: Connecticut state budget and finances

The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in July.
2. State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in September.
3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in February.
4. The legislature adopts a budget in May or June. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year begins on July 1.

Connecticut is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget. Likewise, the legislature must adopt a balanced budget.

Governor's office budget

The budget for the Governor's Office in the 2024 Fiscal Year was $4,004,000.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of Connecticut's elected state executives are determined by law as mandated by the Connecticut Constitution. Article IV, Section 7 of the state constitution also requires all changes in salary to take effect following the next election for the affected offices:

	Text of Section 7: The compensations of the governor and lieutenant-governor shall be established by law, and shall not be varied so as to take effect until after an election, which shall next succeed the passage of the law establishing such compensations.

2022

In 2022, the governor's salary was $150,000, but was forgone by Governor Ned Lamont (D) according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the governor's salary was $150,000, but was forgone by Governor Ned Lamont (D) according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor's salary was $150,000, but was forgone by Governor Ned Lamont (D) according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2012

In 2012, the governor was paid an estimated $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Connecticut

Partisan breakdown of the Connecticut governorship from 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, there were Democratic governors in office for three years while there were Republican governors in office for 16 years. During the final three years, Connecticut was under Democratic trifectas.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Connecticut, the Connecticut State Senate and the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Connecticut state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Between the years 1992 and 2005, Connecticut ranked in the top-10 in the SQLI ranking, in the top-5 for twelve of those thirteen years, and ranked 1st in 1992 and 1993. Beginning 2005, Connecticut dropped out of the top-10 and began a trend downward until hitting its lowest spot during the period of the study (33rd in 2012). Connecticut had divided government for eighteen years before having a Democratic trifecta in 2011. The state’s greatest decline in the SQLI ranking occurred between 2011 and 2012, when Connecticut dropped fourteen spots in the rankings. Connecticut has never had a Republican trifecta between 1992 and 2012.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 26.00
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A
• SQLI average with divided government: 6.63

Chart displaying the partisanship of Connecticut government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Historical officeholders

There have been 89 Governors of Connecticut since 1639, including 68 after joining the Union in 1788. Since statehood, 28 governors were Republican, 22 were Democratic, seven were Federalist, six were Whig, two were Democratic Republican and three were from minor parties.

#	Name	Term	Party
22	Samuel Huntington		Federalist
23	Oliver Wolcott		Federalist
24	Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.		Federalist
25	John Treadwell		Federalist
26	Roger Griswold		Federalist
27	John Cotton Smith		Federalist
28	Oliver Wolcott, Jr.		Democratic Republican
29	Gideon Tomlinson		Democratic Republican
30	John S. Peters		National Republican
31	Henry W. Edwards		Democratic
32	Samuel A. Foot		Whig
31	Henry W. Edwards		Democratic
33	William W. Ellsworth		Whig
34	Chauncey F. Cleveland		Democratic
35	Roger S. Baldwin		Whig
36	Isaac Toucey		Democratic
37	Clark Bissell		Whig
38	Joseph Trumbull		Whig
39	Thomas H. Seymour		Democratic
40	Charles H. Pond		Democratic
41	Henry Dutton		Whig
42	William T. Minor		American
43	Alexander H. Holley		American, Republican
44	William A. Buckingham		Republican
45	Joseph R. Hawley
46	James E. English		Democratic
47	Marshall Jewell		Republican
48	Charles R. Ingersoll		Democratic
49	Richard D. Hubbard		Democratic
50	Charles B. Andrews		Republican
51	Hobart B. Bigelow		Republican
52	Thomas M. Waller		Democratic
53	Henry B. Harrison		Republican
54	Phineas C. Lounsbury		Republican
55	Morgan G. Bulkely		Republican
56	Luzon B. Morris		Democratic
57	O. Vincent Coffin		Republican
58	Lorrin A. Cooke		Republican
59	George E. Lounsbury		Republican
60	George P. McLean		Republican
61	Abiram Chamberlain		Republican
62	Henry Roberts		Republican
63	Rollin S. Woodruff		Republican
64	George L. Lilley		Republican
65	Frank B. Weeks		Republican
66	Simeon E. Baldwin		Democratic
67	Marcus H. Holcomb		Republican
68	Everett J. Jake		Republican
69	Charles A. Templeton		Republican
70	Hiram Bingham		Republican
71	John H. Trumbull		Republican
72	Wilbur L. Cross		Democratic
73	Raymond E. Baldwin		Republican
74	Robert A. Hurley		Democratic
73	Raymond E. Baldwin		Republican
75	Wilbert Snow		Democratic
76	James L. McConaughy		Republican
77	James C. Shannon		Republican
78	Chester Bowles		Democratic
79	John D. Lodge		Republican
80	Abraham A. Ribicoff		Democratic
81	John Dempsey		Democratic
82	Thomas J. Meskill		Republican
83	Ella T. Grasso		Democratic
84	William A. O'Neill		Democratic
85	Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.		A Connecticut
86	John G. Rowland		Republican
87	M. Jodi Rell		Republican
88	Dan Malloy		Democratic
89	Ned Lamont		Democratic

State profile

Demographic data for Connecticut
	Connecticut	U.S.
Total population:	3,584,730	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	4,842	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	77.3%	73.6%
Black/African American:	10.3%	12.6%
Asian:	4.2%	5.1%
Native American:	0.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.8%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	14.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.9%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	37.6%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$70,331	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	12.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Connecticut. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Connecticut

Connecticut voted for the Democratic candidate in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Connecticut, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Connecticut had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Connecticut coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Connecticut
• United States congressional delegations from Connecticut
• Public policy in Connecticut
• Influencers in Connecticut
• Connecticut fact checks
• More...

Contact information

Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106

Tel: 860-566-4840
Toll-Free: 800-406-1527
TDD: 860-524-7397

See also

• Connecticut state executive offices
• Connecticut state executive officials

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Governor of Connecticut website