Puny Primary Turnout In Bridgeport – Trumbull Dems Eclipse More Than Twice, Lifting Sujata For State Senate

The Bridgeport Democratic primary moderator’s report, see above, offers disquieting citywide turnout news from last Tuesday’s vote – a walloping 11 percent, across two state senate districts.

The turnout in Connecticut’s 22nd Senatorial won handily by Trumbull’s Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox to replace a retiring Marilyn Moore ran a smidge ahead of the other side of the city where incumbent Herron Gaston breezed to a huge win over City Councilman Ernie Newton in the split Bridgeport-Stratford district.

In the 22nd Senatorial, Trumbull Dems were much more engaged than Bridgeport Dems turning out for former Mayor Bill Finch, City Councilman Scott Burns and ex councilman Tyler Mack. The turnout in Trumbull was 24 percent with Sujata banking more than 70 percent of that vote.

Statewide turnout was 16 percent.

Bridgeport Democrats in the district outpace Trumbull Dems by 10,000 electors. The early vote in Trumbull also ran handily ahead of Bridgeport voters in the 22nd.

What does this mean? Sujata’s campaign inspired Trumbull voters to turnout while the three Bridgeport-centric Dems did not resonate. Yes, you can argue the Bridgeport Dems split up the vote, but looking deeper into the numbers Sujata by percentage performed better in Bridgeport than the Bridgeport candidates in Trumbull and Monroe.

The poor Bridgeport turnout is also attributable to the Democratic political organization largely sitting on the sidelines.

Mayor Joe Ganim and Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa stayed out of it.

Why?

Well, Ganim defeated Finch in a 2015 primary to win back the mayoralty (frosty relationship); Burns supported Lamond Daniels for mayor last year; Mack is a Moore disciple.

The town chairman is like: you guys don’t support the mayor or me: buona notte.

There’s more to the equation: Sujata retailed a resonating local message that connected.

A professor of constitutional law, her narrative focused on a modest upbringing by Asian immigrant parents who raised her in Queens, New York, a women’s voice in the senate, reproductive rights, cajoling more education dollars, election reform, creating a city-suburban shared services regional partnership rather than every community for itself, revising the state spending guardrails to provide tuition-free college as the gateway to success.

She’s also a resilient campaigner coming up short in three State House races in Trumbull now scouring a larger territory.

She faces Republican Chris Carrena in the general election.