See The Numbers – Decoding Sujata’s Tsunami For State Senate

In the end, Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox performed stronger in Bridgeport than the Bridgeport-centric candidates performed in the suburbs.

But there’s a lot more to her impressive primary win in a four-candidate field than that.

Connecticut’s 22nd District occupied by a retiring Marilyn Moore covers about two thirds of Bridgeport, all of Trumbull and southern Monroe, one of the most diverse in Connecticut.

The percentage turnout in the suburbs ran about 10 points higher than the Bridgeport section of the district – North End, West Side, Black Rock.

City Councilman Scott Burns ran well in his Black Rock home district where the turnout was surprisingly low. He had no traction elsewhere. Mack managed a couple of precinct wins, led by Wilbur Cross School but was no real factor elsewhere in the city.

Former Mayor Bill Finch, who represented the district for seven years prior to ascension to the mayoralty in 2007, received the most votes in Bridgeport.

There certainly existed vote splitting among the three Bridgeport candidates. Sujata managed 352 votes, finishing second in a couple of city precincts, including Black Rock where a reform message resonated with no name recognition when she entered the race in May. Sujata was aided in Bridgeport by old time warhorses in the state legislature, Chris Caruso, Bob Keeley, Lee Samowitz and former councilman Joel “Speedy” Gonzalez that ignited a bulk of her city vote.

Bridgeport Democrats outnumber the suburbs by about two to one. In modern Democratic primary history the city vote drowned out the suburban tally. Tuesday was a different story, a percentage tsunami that overwhelmed.

Burns and Mack had nothing in Trumbull and Monroe. Finch, who was raised in Trumbull, underperformed expectations. All seven Trumbull precincts were blowouts for Sujata who received more than 70 percent of the vote there in a four-way field. She also ran strong in Monroe.

She is not new to campaigning for the legislature in Trumbull, having lost a couple of close races in high turnout general elections. Primaries are different animals, you grind out votes.

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.

Sujata also brings to the table an engaging spirit of optimism open to ideas and input. So many candidates make it about them, not the voters. You make it about voters and it’s a stronger chance for buy in.

She is a heavy favorite to win the general election over Republican Chris Carrena in this national cycle when Kamala Harris will lead the Dem ticket and Donald Trump the Republican ticket.

Meanwhile, campaigning continues in this diverse city-suburban district.