“Netanyahu Was On The Ballot. A.I. Was In The Backdrop”

by Mona Mahadevan

Israel and artificial intelligence (A.I.) were on the Democratic-primary ballot in New York on Tuesday — issues that aren’t “quite as resonant” in Connecticut.

That was Gov. Ned Lamont’s take on last night’s congressional primaries in New York City, where candidates on the anti-establishment left scored big wins.

Lamont, a two-term Democratic governor and Greenwich businessman, is facing his own progressive challenge in his home state this year. Hamden state Rep. Josh Elliott has staked his campaign on a populist economic message, casting Lamont as an out-of-touch, wealthy incumbent. The winner of the Aug. 11 Democratic primary for governor will face Republican gubernatorial candidate and Greenwich State Sen. Ryan Fazio in November’s general election.

After an unrelated press conference in the Ninth Square on Wednesday, the governor shared his thoughts about the New York primaries with the Independent.

“I have a feeling that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu was on the ballot,” said Lamont. “A.I. was in the backdrop. You know, issues that aren’t quite as resonant here in Connecticut, but still important.”

Three Democratic candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, former city comptroller Brad Lander, and community advocate Darializa Avila Chevalier — all won their congressional primaries.

To Lamont, Mamdani’s apparent influence on New York politics reflects voters’ desire to see authenticity.

“Look, [Mamdani]’s a very genuine and charismatic leader,” he said. But in terms of policy positions, “every community’s different,” “governor’s different from congress,” and “federal’s different than state.” A key lesson for any candidate is to “stand tall for what you believe.”

“People are scared, people are hungry, and they feel like their rights are being infringed,” said Lamont. “I think the [candidates] that are winning are genuine and tell people where they stand and what they believe.”