Hamden State Lawmaker Kicks Off Campaign For Governor

By Mona Mahadevan, New Haven Independent

HAMDEN, CT — Hamden Democratic State Rep. Josh Elliott formally announced his campaign for governor on Monday, with a pledge to prioritize affordability for Connecticut’s middle class and working poor.

Flanked by a dozen supporters, including South Windsor State Sen. Saud Anwar, Elliott made the announcement inside Hamden Town Hall at 2900 Dixwell Ave.

While Gov. Ned Lamont has yet to confirm whether he will seek a third four-year term in 2026, he strongly hinted at doing so in June. For now, Elliott is the only Democrat officially in the race.

“Right now, too much of our policy favors those that already have the most,” Elliott said on Monday. “We as regulators should make sure that [wealthy people are] paying back into the system that allowed them to make their money.”

During his time in the state legislature, the five-term representative from Hamden has championed legalizing recreational cannabis, making prison phone calls free, and raising taxes on the wealthy. In 2022, he ran for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state on a platform calling for ranked-choice voting, expanded access to early and absentee ballot voting, and voting rights for the state’s prison inmates. He formally entered state politics after campaigning for Bernie Sanders for president in 2016, and took to the campaign trails for Elizabeth Warren in 2020.

He also owns a health and organic food store in Hamden called Thyme & Season, though his staff helps to manage the store’s day-to-day operations.

On Monday, Elliott positioned himself as a progressive alternative to Lamont, criticizing the governor’s record on housing and taxes. He pointed to Lamont’s recent veto of House Bill 5002 — an omnibus bill aimed at addressing the state’s affordable housing shortage — as an example of missed opportunity.

Elliott acknowledged that his housing stance may not be politically popular, especially with local leaders wary of state zoning reforms that press suburbs to build more housing. Still, he said, “Every town and every city in our state needs to play a role” in the housing affordability shortage.

Unlike Lamont, who was born into extreme wealth and lives in Greenwich, Elliott also supports a capital gains surcharge between one and five percent and said he would be amenable to raising the state’s minimum wage — currently at $16.35 — if the legislature chose to pursue it.

Asked about the risk of high earners leaving the state, Elliott cited “multiple longitudinal studies” showing that taxes rank low on the list of reasons why people move, far behind personal, professional, and family ties.

He said his campaign is very “serious” and aimed at winning the election, but he would also consider it a victory if his campaign led Lamont to adopt more progressive positions.

“This campaign is about giving voice to those truths,” he said, “and offering a bold, clear-eyed vision on what our state can be.”

Elliott described himself as a “visionary” within the Democratic Party, and in that sense said his campaign shared similarities with Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor.

Elliott added the caveat that he is a Democrat and does not identify as a democratic socialist.

“Unless we’re willing to ask more of everyone — not just the middle class and the working poor — we’ll keep falling short,” he said.

Among those in attendance was New Haven Federation of Teachers President Leslie Blatteau, who was arrested outside of Lamont’s office in May as part of a protest for more public education funding. Blatteau emphasized that her presence did not represent an endorsement from the NHFT. Personally, she said she is sympathetic to Elliott’s policy positions. She added that regardless of whether he wins, Elliott’s challenge is at least “voicing [their] dissatisfaction” with the current administration.

Anwar, who has endorsed Elliott for governor, said he will go to Democratic Town Committees on Elliott’s behalf. He was critical of Lamont’s status as a “corporate Democrat,” arguing that on policy alone, Lamont could be categorized as a Republican.

In response to Monday’s announcement, Lamont’s director of communications, Rob Blanchard, defended the governor’s record on affordability and said it remains a priority of the governor:

“From day one, Governor Lamont’s focus has been on expanding opportunity and making Connecticut more affordable for working families,” Blanchard wrote in a statement. “He championed progressive priorities such as free childcare for families making less than $100k, paid family and medical leave, expanding our earned income tax credit for our lowest-earning residents, and increasing our minimum wage to one of the highest in the country.

“While that’s a proud record on affordability and opportunity that could go up against anyone, the Governor understands that more must be done to bring costs down for families across Connecticut, and it will continue to be the number one focus of his administration.”

In the middle of Monday’s event, a protester waving the Palestinian flag and wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt interrupted Elliott to ask about his position on Israel. He responded, “I do believe in Israel’s right to exist, and I do believe that this is a genocide.” But that is “not part of the campaign platform,” which is focused on affordability and “making sure that the wealthy are paying their fair share.”

The New Haven Independent is a not-for-profit public-interest daily news site founded in 2005.