Update, Aug 13, State Senator Ryan Fazio. (R-36) announced his campaign for Governor of Connecticut
“I know our state deserves better than sky-high electricity bills and taxes, and jobs leaving our state. With a positive change, the best days can be ahead of us. Together, let’s change Hartford, save Connecticut, and create a brighter future for all,” he said in a post on Twitter.
In a campaign video attached to the post, he said, “Connecticut was once an affordable place where families could build a future, but after years of failed leadership in Hartford, it’s where dreams get buried under sky high electric bills and taxes. Under Ned Lamont and his radical legislature, electric rates and taxes have soared to the third highest in the country. They’ve undermined law enforcement and driven out jobs, opportunity and hope. We all see it. We all feel it. Families are hurting. There’s something broken in our state capital, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”
“Connecticut is a great state with great people. It’s time for leadership that lives up to both,” he continued. “I refuse to sit back and watch the decline. I still believe Connecticut’s best days are ahead of us. Together, let’s cut electric rates by 20% and eliminate the public benefits charge. Let’s reduce income taxes by $1500 for the average family and cap property taxes. Let’s finally support our law enforcement and create opportunity for all.”
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Original story Aug 5, 2025: The 2026 Connecticut gubernatorial election will take place on Nov 3, 2026 and Ned Lamont has yet to announce whether he will run for a third term.
On August 1, Greenwich’s Ryan Fazio, State Senator for the 36th district who was elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2022 and 2024, filed paperwork with the state to form an exploratory committee for Governor of Connecticut.
Fazio, whose district includes Greenwich, Stamford, and New Canaan, is the ranking Senator on the Energy & Technology Committee and the Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee. confirmed in an email that the Exploratory Committee Registration was for Governor.
Last week at the League of Women Voters Greenwich legislative wrap-up, Fazio’s theme was that Connecticut is a great place to live but the state could could do better.
“In study after study, the cost of doing business – the cost of living, the taxes, the electric rates – are so high that it’s actually driving people out of the state,” he said in response to a question about Connecticut’s business-friendliness.
He talked about high energy costs and said taxes should be cut on middle class families, given Connecticut has the third highest taxes in the country.
On Tuesday, Fazio said in an email that representing his home district for three terms was the honor of a lifetime.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to do in that time: defending local control, advocating for tax cuts and fiscal restraint, and advancing the only relief on energy bills in decades.”
Fazio continued, “However, with a completely one party state, including a 2-to-1 majority for Democrats in the legislature and Democratic governor, I find the entire state at risk if there is not a change in leadership.”
“I cannot sit by and accept more Hartford mandates on our towns or the third-highest electric bills and taxes in the country. Governor Lamont bears responsibility, too, raising taxes by a billion dollars per year and public benefits charges by $400 million since he was sworn in. I know we can do better, but it will require a change in leadership to accomplish that.”
Fazio said he expected to make a full decision on his next steps this month.
Fazio, 35, was initially defeated in 2020 by incumbent Democratic Senator Alex Kasser (formerly Alex Bergstein), but after she resigned abruptly in June 2021, he defeated newcomer Alexis Gevanter in a special election in August.
To date, others who have filed exploratory committees for Governor include New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart and Peter Lumaj from Fairfield, who has run for statewide office several times.
Westport’s First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker announced her intentions to run for Governor back in March.