Mayoral elections in Hartford, Connecticut

Elections are currently held every four years to elect the mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.

From 1947 until 1969, rather than being individually elected, a mayor was chosen from among the members of Hartford's city council. Both prior and subsequent to this, partisan direct elections have been held to sleet the city's mayor.[1][2]

Elections were originally to two year terms. On November 5, 2002, residents of Hartford voted to make changes to the Hartford City Charter taking effect on January 1, 2004, including extending mayoral terms to four years.[3]

1935

[edit]
1935 Hartford mayoral election
← 1933 November 5, 1935 1937 →
 
Candidate John A. Pilgard Joseph W. Beach
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 27,585 20,372
Percentage 56.4% 41.7%

Mayor before election

Joseph W. Beach
Republican

Elected mayor

John A. Pilgard
Democratic


General election result

[edit]
1935 Hartford mayoral election results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John A. Pilgard 27,585 56.4%
Republican Joseph W. Beach (incumbent) 20,372 41.7%
Socialist Abraham Perlstein 729 1.5%
Communist Olaf R. Ellison 204 0.4%
Turnout 48,890 100%

Mayor-elect Pilgard died at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford (Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center) on November 14, 1935.[5] On December 3, 1935, by a 14-6 vote, the city council chose Thomas J. Spellacy to finish Pilgard's term in office.[6]

1937

[edit]
1937 Hartford mayoral election
← 1935 November 2, 1937 1939 →
 
Candidate Thomas J. Spellacy Joseph W. Beach
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 31,736 16,347
Percentage 62.01% 31.94%

Mayor before election

Thomas J. Spellacy
Democratic

Elected mayor

Thomas J. Spellacy
Democratic


General election result

[edit]
1937 Hartford mayoral election results[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas J. Spellacy (incumbent) 31,736 62.01
Republican Joseph W. Beach 16,347 31.94
Union James L. McGuire 2,378 4.64
Socialist Victor I. Harris 525 1.03
Communist Sydney E. Wilson 192 0.38
Turnout 51,178

1939

[edit]
1939 Hartford mayoral election
← 1937 November 7, 1939 1941 →
 
Candidate Thomas J. Spellacy Joseph B. Griffin
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 25,933 21,061
Percentage 52.44% 42.59%

Mayor before election

Thomas J. Spellacy
Democratic

Elected mayor

Thomas J. Spellacy
Democratic

General election result

[edit]
1939 Hartford mayoral election results[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas J. Spellacy (incumbent) 25,933 52.44
Republican Joseph B. Griffin 21,061 42.59
Socialist Bellani Trombley 1,385 2.80
Union Elias Starquist 1,076 2.18
Turnout 49,455


1941

[edit]
1941 Hartford mayoral election
← 1939 November 4, 1941 1943 →
 
Candidate Thomas J. Spellacy Joseph B. Griffin
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 25,372 20,382
Percentage 55.45% 44.55%

Mayor before election

Thomas J. Spellacy
Democratic

Elected mayor

Thomas J. Spellacy
Democratic

General election result

[edit]
1941 Hartford mayoral election results[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas J. Spellacy (incumbent) 25,372 55.45
Republican Joseph B. Griffin 20,382 44.55
Turnout 45,754

Mayor Spellacy was also endorsed by the Socialist Party and Union Party tickets.

1943

[edit]
1943 Hartford mayoral election
← 1941 November 2, 1943 1945 →
 
Candidate William H. Mortensen Dennis Paul O'Connor
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 25,533 23,165
Percentage 52.43% 47.57%

Mayor before election

Dennis Paul O'Connor
Democratic

Elected mayor

William H. Mortensen
Republican

General election result

[edit]
1943 Hartford mayoral election results[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William H. Mortensen 25,533 52.43
Democratic Dennis Paul O'Connor (incumbent) 23,165 47.57
Turnout 48,698

Mayor O'Connor was also endorsed by the Socialist Party ticket. He received 22,970 votes on the Democratic Party ballot line and 195 votes on the Socialist Party ballot line. In July 1943, O'Connor had replaced Mayor Thomas J. Spellacy, who had resigned.[11][12]

1945

[edit]
1945 Hartford mayoral election
← 1943 November 6, 1945 1947 →
 
Candidate Cornellus A. Moylan Thomas J. Spellacy
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 28,946 19,751
Percentage 59.44% 40.59%

Mayor before election

William H. Mortensen
Republican

Elected mayor

Cornellus A. Moylan
Republican

General election result

[edit]
1945 Hartford mayoral election results[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cornellus A. Moylan 28,946 59.44
Democratic Thomas J. Spellacy 19,751 40.59
Turnout 48,697

Turnout was approximately 59% of the 82,700 eligible voters.[13] Mayor Moylan died in office in late December 1946. By a 15-4 vote, the city council chose Edward N. Allen to finish Moylan's term in office.[14]

1947

[edit]

General election result

[edit]

On November 4, 1947, the voters elected a nine-member city council in a non-partisan election. The council was tasked with selecting the mayor and city manager.[15]

1969

[edit]

1971

[edit]

1973

[edit]

1975

[edit]

1977

[edit]

1979

[edit]
1979 Hartford mayoral election
← 1977 November 6, 1979 1981 →
 
Candidate George A. Athanson William E. Glynn Michael T. McGarry
Party Democratic Independent Democratic Republican
Popular vote 12,291 6,573 2,235
Percentage 57.01% 30.49% 10.37%

Mayor before election

George A. Athanson
Democratic

Elected mayor

George A. Athanson
Democratic

The 1979 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 6, 1979. It saw George A. Athanson win reelection to a fifth term.

Democratic primary

[edit]

The Democratic primary was held on September 11.

Candidates

[edit]

Results

[edit]

The city's Democratic committee endorsed Carbone for election ahead of the primary.[17]

Anthanson won by a large margin. The slate for the Democratic nominations for city council he had backed, which was regarded as the "weaker" slate by political observers, also won election.[18]

Turnout was over 46%.[18]

1979 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic George A. Athanson (incumbent) 10,893 60.95
Democratic Nicholas R. Carbone 6,980 39.05
Turnout 17,873

Republican nomination

[edit]

Hartford's Republican Town Chairman Joseph P. Mozzicato attempted to make sure no Republican nominee would run for the mayoralty, seeing the mayoral election as a losing race, and preferring to spend the party's money focussing on the City Council election. Registered Republican voters comprised only 7,000 of Hartford's roughly 140,000 residents.[20] The Republican Party, however, ultimately nominated Michael T. McGarry.[16]

Independent candidates

[edit]

Withdrawn

[edit]

General election result

[edit]
1979 Hartford mayoral election results[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic George A. Athanson (incumbent) 12,291 57.01
Independent Democratic William E. Glynn 6,573 30.49
Republican Michael T. McGarry 2,235 10.37
Independent Joseph Mazzafera 459 2.13
Turnout 21,558

1981

[edit]
1981 Hartford mayoral election
← 1979 November 3, 1981 1983 →
 
Candidate Thirman Milner Robert F. Ludgin Michael T. McGarry
Party Democratic Independent Democratic Republican
Popular vote 14,854 6,951 4,076
Percentage 57.39% 26.86% 15.75%

Mayor before election

George A. Athanson
Democratic

Elected mayor

Thirman Milner
Democratic

The 1981 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 3, 1981. It saw Thirman Milner win election. The election made Milner the first popularly elected black mayor of a city in New England.[22][23] Black people made up one-third of the city's population at the time.[24] Milner defeated five-term incumbent mayor George A. Athanson in the Democratic primary.

Democratic primary

[edit]

Candidates

[edit]

Initial primary (September 8)

[edit]

Incumbent mayor George A. Athanson won the initial primary held on September 8, defeating runner-up Milner by a mere 94 votes.[25] This result would ultimately be nullified in court.

Heading into the election, Athanson was regarded to be a well-liked figure in the city.[26]

Milner's strong performance regarded as a surprise, outperforming polls and many expectations.[26] One Hartford Courant poll ahead of the primary had shown Athanson leading Milner by a much greater 14-point margin (35% to 21%).[27]

The result had largely corresponded to racial lines, with Milner performing well in the predominantly black North End (where he lived), and with Athanson and Ludgin splitting the predominantly white South End.[28][26] Murphy had performed her best in the liberal West End of the city (where she lived).[28][26] Athanson performed well in the South End of the city.[26] However, he underperformed on the North End, and lost the West End to Murray.[26] Milner performed strongly in the North End of the city, and had some strong performances in some parts of the West End.[26] In the Blue Hills portion of Hartford, Milner routed Athanson.[26]

Ludgin, elected in 1977 to The Hartford City Council as an outsider, had made many enemies and put-off many voters through his aggressive leadership style in his two years in office.[26] Murray, a community activist, was a first-time candidate for elected office.[26]

Unlike in 1979, the city's Democratic committee endorsed Athanson for reelection ahead of the primary.[17]

1981 Hartford September 8, 1981 mayoral Democratic primary results[28][26] –nullified
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic George A. Athanson (incumbent) 5,229 32.94
Democratic Thirman L. Milner 5,135 32.35
Democratic Robert F. Ludgin 3,167 19.95
Democratic Johanna C. Murphy 2,343 14.76
Turnout 15,874 40

Rerun (October 13)

[edit]

Voting irregularities in the September 8 Democratic primary led Connecticut Superior Court judge Douglass B. Wright to order a rerun of the Democratic primary to take place on October 13, after Milner brought a challenge to the court and city officials and Athanson agreed in court to allow a rerun.[29][25][28]

In the rerun of the primary, Milner defeated incumbent mayor George A. Athanson, in large part, due to a very strong showing in the city's North End.[23]

1981 Hartford October 13, 1981 mayoral Democratic primary rerun results[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thirman L. Milner 9,267 48.72
Democratic George A. Athanson (incumbent) 6,521 34.28
Democratic Robert F. Ludgin 1,664 8.75
Democratic Johanna C. Murphy 1,570 8.25
Turnout 19,022

Republican primary

[edit]

Michael T. McGarry won the Republican primary. He defeated Donald B. LaCroix. LaCroix had been endorsed by the city's Republican Party organization ahead of the primary.[26] LaCroix had a record of running losing campaigns for elected office.[26] McGarry had been the more known figure of the two.[26]

1981 Hartford mayoral Republican primary results[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael T. McGarry 892 65.98
Republican Donald B. LaCroix 460 34.02
Turnout 1,352

Independent candidates

[edit]
  • Robert F. Ludgin (Democrat)[23]

General election

[edit]

Milner continued to receive strong support from the city's North Side, winning 90% of the roughly 9,500 votes cast there in the general election.[23]

1981 Hartford mayoral election results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thirman L. Milner 14,854 57.39
Independent Democratic Robert F. Ludgin 6,951 26.86
Republican Michael T. McGarry 4,076 15.75
Turnout 25,881

1983

[edit]

1985

[edit]

1987

[edit]

1989

[edit]

1991

[edit]
1991 Hartford mayoral election

← 1989 November 5, 1991 1993 →
 
Candidate Carrie Saxon Perry
Party Democratic
Popular vote 7,987
Percentage 100%

Mayor before election

Carrie Saxon Perry
Democratic

Elected mayor

Carrie Saxon Perry
Democratic

The 1991 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991. Incumbent Carrie Saxon Perry was reelected to a third consecutive term, defeating a challenger in the Democratic primary, and running unopposed in the general election.

Democratic primary

[edit]

The Democratic primary was held on September 10.

Ahead of the Democratic primary, the city's Democratic Party organization endorsed Robert J. Jackson over the incumbent mayor Carrie Saxon Perry.[30] Perry had gone against the city's Democratic machine and ran her own slate of candidates for City Council in the coinciding city council primaries, which ultimately prevailed over all of the incumbents they were challenging.[30]

1991 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results[30][31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Carrie Saxon Perry (incumbent) 7,228 59.57
Democratic Robert J. Jackson 4,905 40.43
Turnout 12,133 30

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[32]

General election

[edit]
1991 Hartford mayoral election results[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Carrie Saxon Perry (incumbent) 7,987 100
Turnout 7,987 100

1993

[edit]
1993 Hartford mayoral election

← 1991 November 2, 1993 1995 →
 
Candidate Michael P. Peters Carrie Saxon Perry
Party Independent Democratic Democratic
Popular vote 11,768 7,022
Percentage 61.24% 36.54%

Mayor before election

Carrie Saxon Perry
Democratic

Elected mayor

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

The 1993 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 2, 1993. Incumbent Carrie Saxon Perry lost reelection to Michael P. Peters.

Democratic primary

[edit]

Candidates

[edit]

Results

[edit]

Incumbent mayor Carrie Saxon Perry won renomination, carrying a plurality, with 35% of the vote, defeating three opponents. She carried 10 of the 27 precincts for the election.[34] Her margin of victory over runner-up Peters was roughly 700 votes. Turnout comprised roughly 35% of the city's registered Democrats.[35]

Peters was a firefighter who had previously considered an independent run for mayor in the 1991 mayoral general election, but was dissuaded that year after Perry won that year's Democratic primary by a significant margin.[36]

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[37]

Petitioning candidates

[edit]

General election

[edit]

Facing the strong prospect of a loss to Peters, a white candidate, the black Perry brought in several notable black national political figures, such as Carol Moseley Braun and Jesse Jackson, to endorse her. Perry's supporters, at a rally featuring Jackson, distributed flyers which implied that Peters would undo the last decade of progress for the city's black populace.[38]

Perry also received endorsements from mayors of other Connecticut municipalities, such as Bridgeport's Joseph Ganim, New Haven's John C. Daniels and West Haven's Richard Borer.[39] She also received the endorsement of John DeStefano Jr., the Democratic nominee in the coinciding New Haven mayoral election.[39]

While Perry and her supporters adopted the tactic of attacking Peters, Peters largely went without even mentioning Perry, instead focusing on promoting his proposals for the city.[40]

Peters unseated Perry, becoming the first independent to become mayor of Hartford since at least 1953.[41]

Peters benefited from strong support and turnout among the city's white electorate. Turnout in the city's white South End wards averaged 60%, while the citywide turnout only averaged 45%. In the three most predominantly white precincts on the city's South End, Peters won 90% of the vote.[38] Peters also received more support in precincts located in the predominantly black North End than most white candidates had managed to receive there in election over the previous decade, receiving roughly 20% of the vote in those precincts.[38]

Peters carried 19 districts. Perry carried 8 voting districts, most of them being in the North Side.[41]

1993 Hartford mayoral election results[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Democratic Michael P. Peters 11,768 61.24
Democratic Carrie Saxon Perry (incumbent) 7,022 36.54
Independent Kenneth A. Mink 214 1.11
Independent Nora Wyatt Jr. 212 1.10
Turnout 19,216

1995

[edit]
1995 Hartford mayoral election

← 1993 November 7, 1995 1997 →
 
Candidate Michael P. Peters Elizabeth Horton Sheff
Party Democratic Independent Democratic
Popular vote 10,170 1,788
Percentage 85.05% 14.95%

Mayor before election

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

Elected mayor

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

The 1995 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 7, 1995. Incumbent Michael P. Peters was reelected.

Democratic primary

[edit]

Incumbent mayor Michael P. Peters defeated city councilwoman Elizabeth Horton Sheff in the Democratic primary.

1995 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michael P. Peters (incumbent) 7,756 79.81
Democratic Elizabeth Horton Sheff 1,962 20.19
Turnout 9,718

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.

Petitioning candidates

[edit]
  • Elizabeth Horton Sheff (Democrat), city councilwoman[44]

General election

[edit]
1995 Hartford mayoral election results[45]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michael P. Peters (incumbent) 10,170 85.05
Independent Democratic Elizabeth Horton Sheff 1,788 14.95
Turnout 11,958

1997

[edit]
1997 Hartford mayoral election

← 1995 November 4, 1997 1999 →
 
Candidate Michael P. Peters Kenneth Mink
Party Democratic Independent Democratic
Popular vote 8,793 964
Percentage 90.12% 9.88

Mayor before election

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

Elected mayor

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

The 1997 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 4, 1997. Incumbent Michael P. Peters won reelection to a third term.

Democratic nomination

[edit]

For only the second time in two decades, Hartford did not have a competitive Democratic primary. Activist Kenneth Mink, who had been an announced challenger of incumbent Mike Peters, failed to file on time the proper forms to run against him in the Democratic primary. The last two times that there had been no competitive primary for the Democratic mayoral nomination were 1989 and 1977.[46]

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[47]

Other parties

[edit]

The Pro Hartford Party opted against running a candidate.[46]

Petitioning candidates

[edit]
  • Kenneth Mink, activist and 1993 mayoral candidate

General election

[edit]

Michael P. Peters received the endorsement of the Hartford Courant.[48]

Michael P. Peters won every precinct in the city.[49]

1997 Hartford mayoral election results[50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michael P. Peters (incumbent) 8,793 90.12
Independent Democratic Kenneth A. Mink 964 9.88
Turnout 9,757

1999

[edit]
1999 Hartford mayoral election

← 1997 November 1, 1999 2001 →
Turnout18.54%
 
Candidate Michael P. Peters
Party Democratic
Popular vote 7,943
Percentage 99.94%

Mayor before election

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

Elected mayor

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

The 1999 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 1, 1999. Democrat Michael P. Peters won reelection to a fourth term.

Democratic primary

[edit]

Incumbent Michael P. Peters defeated Juan Morales in the Democratic primary.[51] Morales was a tax and banking consultant who worked with insurance companies.[49] Morales was a relative political newcomer, whose previous political experience included running unsuccessfully for Hartford City Council in 1995.[49]

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[47]

Write-ins

[edit]
  • W. Michael Downes, 1995 mayoral candidate

General election results

[edit]
1999 Hartford mayoral election results[47][52]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michael P. Peters (incumbent) 7,943 99.94
Write-in W. Michael Downes 5 0.06
Turnout 7,948 18.54

2001

[edit]
2001 Hartford mayoral election

← 1999 November 6, 2001 2003 →
Turnout27.38%
 
Candidate Eddie Perez Robert F. Ludgin
Party Democratic Independent Democratic
Popular vote 8,609 1,863
Percentage 74.44% 16.11%

Mayor before election

Michael P. Peters
Democratic

Elected mayor

Eddie Perez
Democratic

The 2001 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 6, 2001. Democrat Eddie Perez won election. Perez became the city's first hispanic mayor.[53] Hartford was, as of the 2000 United States census, 40.52% Hispanic.[54]

Incumbent mayor Michael P. Peters did not seek reelection.

Democratic primary

[edit]

The Democratic primary took place on September 11, 2001, the same day as the September 11 attacks.[55]

Ahead of the primary, Eddie A. Perez received the endorsement of the city's Democratic Party organization.[55]

2003 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results[55]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eddie A. Perez 4,922 70.92
Democratic Robert F. Ludgin 1,898 27.35
Turnout 6,940 23.23

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.[56]

Libertarian nomination

[edit]

The Libertarian Party nominated Richard Lion.[56]

Petitioning candidates

[edit]
  • W. Michael Downes, 1995 and 1999 mayoral candidate
  • Robert F. Ludgin (Democrat)
  • Kenneth A. Mink, activist; 1993 and 1997 mayoral candidate
  • Nora Wyatt, Jr

General election results

[edit]
2001 Hartford mayoral election results[56]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eddie A. Perez 8,609 74.44
Independent Democrat Robert F. Ludgin 1,863 16.11
Independent Nora Wyatt, Jr. 487 4.21
Libertarian Richard Lion 260 2.25
Independent Kenneth A. Mink 251 2.17
Independent W. Michael Downes 95 0.82
Turnout 11,565 27.38

2003

[edit]
2003 Hartford mayoral election

← 2001 November 4, 2003 2007 →
Turnout22.70%
 
Candidate Eddie Perez Michael T. McGarry Richard Lion
Party Democratic Republican Libertarian
Popular vote 7,590 1,876 564
Percentage 75.67% 18.70% 5.62%

Mayor before election

Eddie Perez
Democratic

Elected mayor

Eddie Perez
Democratic

The 2003 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 4, 2003. Incumbent Democrat Eddie Perez won reelection.

The election was to a two-year term. However, in 2004, Hartford residents extended their mayoral terms, which extended Perez's second term through 2008.

Democratic primary

[edit]

Perez won renomination unopposed, in a Democratic Party primary in which 6,267 votes were cast (21% of the city's registered Democrats).[57]

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated Michael T. McGarry, who had run before.

Libertarian nomination

[edit]

The Libertarian Party nominated Richard Lion, who was also the party's nominee in the 2001 mayoral election.

Petitioning candidates

[edit]

Withdrawn

[edit]

General election results

[edit]
2003 Hartford mayoral election results[59]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eddie A. Perez (incumbent) 7,590 75.67
Republican Michael T. McGarry 1,876 18.70
Libertarian Richard Lion 564 5.62
Turnout 10,030 22.70

2007

[edit]
2007 Hartford mayoral election

← 2003 November 6, 2007 2011 →
Turnout31.76%
 
Candidate Eddie Perez I. Charles Matthews
Party Democratic Independent Democrat
Popular vote 6,453 4,556
Percentage 48.84% 34.47%

 
Candidate Minnie Gonzalez James Stanley McCauley
Party Independent Democrat Republican
Popular vote 996 721
Percentage 6.56% 5.45%

Mayor before election

Eddie Perez
Democratic

Elected mayor

Eddie Perez
Democratic

The 2007 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007. Incumbent Democrat Eddie Perez won reelection to a third term.

Democratic primary

[edit]

The Democratic primary was held on September 11.

Candidates

[edit]

Disqualified from ballot

Campaign

[edit]

A large focus of the primary campaign was how Perez had become so dominant in the city's politics.[60]

One of the concerns of the primary campaign was that Perez was facing a criminal investigation relating to the remodeling of his home by a city contractor and deals involving city parking lots.[60] Perez apologized for the home-improvement arrangement, and placed one of the parking lot deals back out to bid.[60] In August, criminal investigators raided Perez's house.[63]

Results

[edit]

Turnout in the Democratic primary was approximately 25% of the city's registered Democrats.[60][63]

Perez performed well in the city's South End and West End, but lost a number of North End precincts.[60]

2007 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results[60][63][64]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eddie Perez (incumbent) 3,750 48.98
Democratic I. Charles Matthews 2,231 29.14
Democratic Art Feltman 988 12.91
Democratic Frank Barrows 687 8.97
Turnout 7,656 25
Results by district[64]
District Barrows Feltman Matthews Perez Total
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
1 58 14.72% 36 9.14% 186 47.21% 114 28.93% 394
2 19 12.26% 19 12.26% 58 37.42% 59 38.07% 155
3 21 4.13% 129 25.34% 201 39.49% 158 31.04% 509
4 20 10.10% 47 23.74% 77 38.89% 54 27.27% 198
5 48 10.26% 56 11.97% 150 32.05% 214 45.73% 468
6 79 18.72% 10 2.37% 172 40.76% 161 38.15% 422
7 81 13.82% 48 8.19% 227 38.74% 230 39.25% 586
8 30 9.59% 41 13.10% 37 11.82% 205 65.50% 313
9 14 4.61% 27 8.88% 42 13.82% 221 72.70% 304
10 17 3.96% 46 10.72% 69 16.08% 297 69.23% 429
11 24 5.31% 103 22.79% 96 21.24% 229 50.66% 452
12 12 2.61% 105 22.88% 72 15.69% 270 58.82% 459
13 10 2.73% 78 21.31% 103 28.14% 175 47.81% 366
14 27 6.05% 109 24.44% 92 20.63% 218 48.88% 446
15 9 5.66% 19 11.95% 32 20.13% 99 62.26% 159
16 12 5.00% 18 7.50% 52 21.67% 158 65.83% 240
17 10 4.08% 15 6.12% 37 15.10% 183 74.69% 245
18 7 2.52% 17 6.12% 50 17.99% 204 73.38% 278
19 3 2.14% 37 26.43% 54 38.57% 46 32.86% 140
20 24 12.06% 10 5.03% 71 35.68% 94 47.24% 199
21 18 9.38% 2 1.04% 31 16.15% 141 73.44% 192
22 66 20.95% 5 1.59% 130 41.27% 114 36.19% 315
23 78 20.16% 11 2.84% 192 49.61% 106 27.39% 387

Republican nomination

[edit]

The Republican Party nominated James Stanley McCauley.[60] McCauley was a minister who had a public-access television show.[60]

Independent candidates

[edit]

Withdrawn

[edit]

General election campaign

[edit]

Winning the Democratic primary in Hartford is generally considered tantamount to election.[60] However, fourteen years earlier, independent Michael P. Peters, who served as mayor from 1993 through 2001, had first won election as a petitioning candidate in the general election, after having failed to win the Democratic primary over then-incumbent Carrie Saxon Perry.[60][63] Registered Democrats in Hartford numbered 30,039, unaffiliated voters numbered 10,454, and Republicans numbered 1,932.[60]

Despite his controversies, Perez received endorsements from Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal, Democratic state chairwoman Nancy DiNardo, Connecticut state comptroller Nancy Wyman.[63]

Former mayor Michael P. Peters endorsed the candidacy of I. Charles Matthews.[61]

Since launching his candidacy in January 2007, Perez had vastly out fundraised and outspent his opponents, raising $593,000 by the end of October.[66] He spent most of the money raised, with only $54,500 of it remaining unspent by the end of October.[66] He spent on consultants, mailers, and in excess of $150,000 in television advertisements.[66] I. Charles Matthews had raised $131,00 by the end of October, though $88,000 of it was self-funding.[66] Minnie Gonzalez raised $56,000 by the end of October.[66] By the end of October, Rual De Jesus had raised $8,000, Thurman Milner had raised $7,000, and J. Stan McCauley had raised $3,000.[66]

General election results

[edit]
2007 Hartford mayoral election results[67][68]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eddie A. Perez (incumbent) 6,453 48.36
Independent Democrat I. Charles Matthews 4,556 34.14
Independent Democrat Minnie Gonzalez 996 7.46
Republican James Stanley McCauley 721 5.40
Independent Thirman L. Milner 463 3.47
Independent Democrat Rual DeJesus 155 1.16
Turnout 13,344 31.76

2011

[edit]
2011 Hartford mayoral election

← 2007 November 8, 2011 2015 →
Turnout12.51%
 
Candidate Pedro Segarra James Stanley McCauley Edwin Vargas, Jr.
Party Democratic Independent Independent
Popular vote 5,736 641 489
Percentage 82.18% 9.18% 7.01%

Mayor before election

Pedro Segarra
Democratic

Elected mayor

Pedro Segarra
Democratic

The 2011 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 8, 2011. The election saw incumbent Democrat Pedro Segarra win a first full term. He became the first openly-gay individual elected Mayor of Hartford,[69] making Hartford the second U.S. state capital to elect an openly gay mayor (Providence, Rhode Island was the first when they elected David Cicilline).[citation needed] Segarra also became the second hispanic individual to be elected mayor of Hartford, after Perez.[70] As of the 2010 United States census, 43.43% of Hartford's populace was hispanic, which was the largest percentage of any city in the northeastern United States.[54][24]

Segarra had become mayor in 2010, after mayor Eddie A. Perez resigned after being convicted of corruption.[71]

Democratic primary

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Incumbent Democrat Pedro Segarra won renomination.

2011 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results[72]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Pedro Segarra (incumbent) 4,246 71.35%
Democratic Edwin Vargas, Jr. 1,517 25.49%
Turnout 5,951 17.8%

Republican nomination

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The Republican Party did not nominate a candidate, and instead cross-endorsed incumbent Democrat Pedro Segarra.[73]

Petitioning candidates

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  • James Stanley McCauley, 2007 mayoral candidate
  • Patrice Smith
  • Edwin Vargas, Jr.

General election

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2011 Hartford mayoral election results[73][74]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Pedro Segarra (incumbent) 5,736 82.18
Independent James Stanley McCauley 641 9.18
Independent Edwin Vargas, Jr. 489 7.01
Independent Patrice Smith 114 1.63
Turnout 6,980 12.51

2015

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2015 Hartford mayoral election

← 2011 November 3, 2015