by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — For months, Gov. Ned Lamont has deferred questions about a potential re-election until after the legislative session ends.
On Thursday, less than 12 hours after the midnight closing of the 2025 legislative session, the second-term governor said he had not made up his mind.
“I don’t know. I told you I’d get back to you, I guess I’ve got to get back to you,” he said. “I’m thinking about it seriously.”
But in his explanation, Lamont sounded like someone not ready to walk away from the office.
“I love the job, and I think we’ve had extraordinary progress,” he said. “I think (Lt. Gov.) Susan (Bysiewicz) and I are a pretty good team. So if you had asked me a year ago I think I would have said, ‘No, I think the state’s on a good trajectory … time to pass the mantle.’”
But now, Lamont said, various factors — including uncertainty at the federal level — has made having an experienced executive critical to the state.
“That’s not a yes or a no, though, that’s a way of saying I’m thinking about it seriously,” he said. “I’m a lot more inclined and interested in keeping going, keep this positive momentum going, than I was six months or a year ago.”
He said he had some conversations to have with various people before making his decision.
“I put everything on hold during the last four or five months. We had a pretty tricky budget session to get through,” he said.
Asked directly if the presidency of Donald Trump made him more or less likely to run again, Lamont answered immediately.
“More. More. I’ve been through it before, I worked with him for the first two years. I know some of the players down there, that makes a big difference,” he said. “You’ve got to navigate through incredible uncertainty. It just makes me feel like this may be a good place for me to be.”
Lamont said he had no timetable for making a decision. He is up for re-election in November, 2026 and will turn 73 the following January when a potential third term would begin.