Get to Know the Candidates for Governor

The Governor of Connecticut is elected to a four-year term. They are the head of the executive branch, meaning they have ultimate authority over, and responsibility for, state agencies. They hold the highest state-level office.

The Governor has tremendous authority over what daily life is like for many Connecticut residents. In particular, Connecticut has a very centralized criminal legal system, and the Governor exerts a lot of power over the people in it. 

The Governor:

• proposes a budget every two years, which can set priorities about whether more money goes into policing and prisons, or to things like education, public health, and economic development;
• proposes, and lobbies for and against, legislation, including bills around prisons, policing, voting rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ rights, and public health;
• nominates the heads of the Department of Correction and Department of Emergency Services and Public Personnel (which includes the state police);
• has ultimate authority over, and responsibility for, the living conditions of people in prisons and jails;
• uses their visibility to draw attention to different issues;
• has veto power over all bills, including line-item veto power in the budget; their veto power can only be overridden by a supermajority vote of the legislature.

In 2022, the following candidates are running for governor:

Michelle Louise Bicking (Green Party)
Robert Hotaling (Independent Party)
Ned Lamont (Democrat - incumbent)
Aaron Lewis (Libertarian)
Bob Stefanowski (Republican)

There will also be a question on the ballot, asking Connecticut voters whether our state should amend the state Constitution to allow the legislature to permit in-person early voting. A “yes” vote on the early voting ballot question would be a vote for early voting as an option in Connecticut.

The next Governor could choose to prioritize racial justice and thriving communities by moving money out of policing and prisons and into programs and services that help people, like affordable housing, mental healthcare, public education, transportation and infrastructure, and more. Or, the next Governor could choose instead to double down on the racist, harmful systems of policing and prisons, which only make us less safe and which especially hurt Black and Latinx communities.

We asked each candidate questions about reproductive freedom, voting rights, and moving money out of policing and prisons and into community health. 

We also asked each candidate for Governor where they stand on the early voting ballot question.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. – if you are in line to vote by 8 p.m., stay in line.

The deadline to register online or via mail to vote is November 1, 2022, although you can also register to vote in-person on Election Day at a designated Election Day registration location (which may or may not be the same as your polling place).

The ACLU of Connecticut Rise PAC sent a survey via email to the remaining candidates for governor. In that survey, we ask the gubernatorial candidates to make their views known on key equity issues facing Connecticut residents, such as questions about whether they support reallocating money from policing and prisons to instead go to public health and safety, reproductive freedom, and voting rights. We asked all candidates to complete their survey responses by October 7, 2022. 

Learn more about the candidates running for governor by reviewing the ACLU of Connecticut Rise PAC questionnaires they completed:

• Michelle Louise Bicking (Green Party) Survey Response
• Robert Hotaling (Independent Party) Survey Response
• Ned Lamont (Democrat - incumbent) (Pending)
• Aaron Lewis (Libertarian) (Pending)
• Bob Stefanowski (Republican) - On September 21, 2022, Elizabeth Wilson of the Bob Stefanowski campaign responded as follows: "The campaign has a no questionnaire/ Survey policy. We greatly appreciate you reaching out and your consideration, unfortunately we feel as though we have to be consistent regarding that rule." 

Note: Candidates who have not responded are marked (Pending) and may or may not submit responses.