by Christine Stuart
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim declared victory Tuesday in the Democratic primary re-do ordered by a Superior Court judge following absentee ballot discrepancies.
The mayor took the stage about an hour after the polls closed and proclaimed that about 1,000 more voters came out in this election than the previous two.
This time Ganim says he won on the machines, something he wasn’t able to do during the first two contests. His challenger John Gomes, who ran as an independent in November, has not said whether he will challenge Ganim again on Feb. 27 for a do-over of the general election.
Democratic Party Chair Mario Testa said: “In baseball, three strikes you’re out.”
But Gomes could stay in it and force a Feb. 27 do-over of the general election. In what he said was not a concession speech, Gomes said they are down in the polls where they didn’t expect and over the next few days they will wait for the absentee ballot numbers and make a decision from there.
“The option is on the table right now because we have a line in February. It’s something I’m not ready to decide right now,” Gomes said.
He said the absentee ballots are generally in favor of Ganim.
“I want to celebrate this victory for our party and for everyone who remains committed to the quality of life in our city,” Ganim said in his speech to supporters. “But it is again humbling for me to know thousands of thousands of voters trudged through the weather today and voter fatigue.”
Ganim won a first primary election in September, when he edged out Gomes by 251 votes, largely cast via absentee ballots.
John Gomes with supporters at the polls (Courtesy of X)
Gomes challenged the results after videos surfaced, appearing to show Ganim supporters making deposits of numerous absentee ballots in city drop boxes, in apparent violation of state election laws restricting who may handle a voter’s absentee ballot.
The evidence and a subsequent trial convinced Bridgeport Superior Court Judge William Clark to order the new election.
“The numbers going into tonight looked very favorable, but that’s something that’s very questionable right now,” Gomes said of the results.
He said the absentee ballots had not been counted yet, but they generally favor Ganim.