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Possible recount averted for Republican lieutenant gubernatorial contest: Connecticut state executive primary elections review
August 13, 2014
HARTFORD, Connecticut: The outcome of the August 12 Republican primary for Connecticut Lieutenant Governor remained unknown until Wednesday afternoon after election day, when state Rep. Penny Bacchiochi conceded the tight race to Groton Town Council Member and former-Mayor Heather Somers.[1][2][3] With 100% of precincts reporting, unofficial results provided by the Connecticut Secretary of State show Somers edging out Bacchiochi by a razor-sharp margin of about 780 votes.[4] Somers will go on to share the ticket with GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Foley in the general election battle against Democratic incumbents Gov. Dan Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.
Under Connecticut election law, an automatic recount is triggered if the margin separating the highest vote-getters falls within one-half a percentage point of the total number of ballots cast; for Somers and Bacchiochi, that meant a difference of 1,000 votes. Bacchiochi rejected the ordering of a recount, however, believing it would only waste time.[1] Delegates of the Connecticut Republican Party voted to back Bacchiochi for lieutenant governor at their convention in May, so Somers' victory was a modest upset.[5][6]
The lieutenant gubernatorial race was one of three contested state executive primaries held yesterday. The other two decided the GOP nominees for governor and state comptroller and were promptly settled on election night. Tom Foley defeated John McKinney to secure his second consecutive GOP gubernatorial nomination and the right to a rematch with Malloy. Meanwhile, Sharon McLaughlin easily overtook Angel Cadena in the state comptroller race and will challenge incumbent Kevin Lembo in November.
Connecticut Lieutenant Governor
Primary results
| Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Heather Somers |
34.5% | 26,980 | ||
| Penny Bacchiochi | 33.6% | 26,311 | ||
| David Walker | 31.9% | 25,014 | ||
| Total Votes | 78,305 | |||
| Election results via Connecticut Secretary of State. | ||||
General election
Nancy Wyman - Incumbent[7][8]
Heather Somers - Groton Mayor, marketing executive[9]- Unaffiliated, Chester Harris[10]
Lost in the Republican primary
- Penny Bacchiochi - State House Republican Caucus Chair[11]
- David Walker - Former U.S. Comptroller General, accountant[12]
See also
|
- Connecticut elections, 2014
- Connecticut state executive elections (overview):
- Recount alert on Republican lieutenant gubernatorial contest: Connecticut state executive primary elections review August 13, 2014
- Primary preview: Connecticut state executive elections, 2014 August 11, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 wfsb.com, "Bacchiochi concedes GOP race for lt. governor to Somers," August 13, 2014
- ↑ The Associated Press, "Connecticut - Summary Vote Results," August 13, 2014
- ↑ NBC Connecticut, "Race results: Connecticut Primary Election," August 13, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 13, 2014
- ↑ ctpost.com, "Lieutenant governor GOP primary too close to call," August 12, 2014
- ↑ The Hartford Courant, "Lieutenant Governor Primary Still Too Close To Call," August 13, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Candidate Committee Registration Statement," April 7, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Candidate Registration List for Election Year 2014," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Candidate Committee Registration Statement," January 27, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Candidate List, 2014 General Election," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Candidate Committee Registration Statement," April 1, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Candidate Committee Registration Statement," April 9, 2014
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