Mayoral elections in Hartford, Connecticut

Elections in Connecticut
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v t e

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 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 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 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 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 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 Hartford mayoral election results^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Cornellus A. Moylan	28,946
	Democratic	Thomas J. Spellacy	19,751
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]

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

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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.

The Democratic primary was held on September 11.

• George A. Athanson, incumbent mayor
• Nicholas R. Carbone, deputy mayor^[16]

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

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]

• William E. Glynn (independent Democrat), former mayor (1961–1965)^[16]
• Joseph Mazzafera (Independent)^[16]

• Donna C. McDonald (U.S. Labor Party)^[16]

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 Hartford mayoral election

← 1979 November 3, 1981 1983 →

Candidate Thirman L. 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 L. Milner Democratic

The 1981 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 3, 1981. It saw Thirman L. 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.

• George A. Athanson, incumbent mayor
• Robert F. Ludgin, deputy mayor and city councilor^[25][26]
• Thirman L. Milner, Connecticut state representative^[25]
• Johanna C. Murphy, community activist^[26]

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

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

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

• Robert F. Ludgin (Democrat)^[23]

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

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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.

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

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.^[32]

1991 Hartford mayoral election results^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carrie Saxon Perry (incumbent)	7,987	100
Turnout			7,987	100

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.

• Yolanda Castillo, Hartford City Council majority leader^[33]
• Henrietta S. Milward, deputy mayor^[33]
• Carrie Saxon Perry, incumbent mayor^[33]
• Michael P. Peters, firefighter^[33]

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]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.^[37]

• Kennth A. Mink (Independent)^[37]
• Michael P. Peters, firefighter (Democrat)
• Nora Wyatt Jr., reverend (Independent)^[37]

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 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.

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

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.

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

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 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.

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]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.^[47]

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

• Kenneth Mink, activist and 1993 mayoral candidate

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 Hartford mayoral election

← 1997 November 1, 1999 2001 →
Turnout	18.54%
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.

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]

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.^[47]

• W. Michael Downes, 1995 mayoral candidate

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 Hartford mayoral election

← 1999 November 6, 2001 2003 →
Turnout	27.38%
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.

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

The Republican Party nominated no candidate.^[56]

The Libertarian Party nominated Richard Lion.^[56]

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

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 Hartford mayoral election

← 2001 November 4, 2003 2007 →
Turnout	22.70%
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.

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

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

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

• Thirman L. Milner, former mayor (1981–1987)^[58]

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 Hartford mayoral election

← 2003 November 6, 2007 2011 →
Turnout	31.76%
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.

The Democratic primary was held on September 11.

• Frank Barrows, former Connecticut state senator^[60]
• Art Feltman, Connecticut state representative^[61][62]
• I. Charles Matthews, lawyer, former Hartford City Council leader, former deputy mayor^[60][61][62]
• Eddie Perez, incumbent mayor

Disqualified from ballot

• Minnie Gonzalez, Connecticut state representative^[60][61]

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]

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

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

• Rual DeJesus (Democrat)^[61]
• Minnie Gonzalez (Democrat), Connecticut state representative
• I. Charles Matthews (Democrat), lawyer, former Hartford City Council leader, former deputy mayor
• Thirman L. Milner (Independent), former mayor (1981–1987)^[60][65]

• Art Feltman (Democrat), Connecticut state representative^[61]
• Patrice Smith (Democrat), reverend and youth advocate^[61]

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]

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 Hartford mayoral election

← 2007 November 8, 2011 2015 →
Turnout	12.51%
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]

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%

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

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

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 Hartford mayoral election

← 2011 November 3, 2015 2019 →
Turnout	17.31%
Candidate Luke Bronin Joel Cruz Jr. Party Democratic Independent Popular vote 7,550 1,815 Percentage 75.64% 18.18%
Mayor before election Pedro Segarra Democratic Elected mayor Luke Bronin Democratic

The 2015 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 3, 2015. The election was won by Democrat Luke Bronin. Bronin defeated incumbent Pedro Segarra in the Democratic primary.

The Democratic primary was held on September 15.^[75][76]

Ahead of the primary, held on Luke Bronin had won the endorsement of the Democratic primary.^[75] He defeated incumbent mayor Pedro Segarra in the primary.

Bronin outspent Segarra by a margin of 3 to 1.^[77] Bronin had raised $800,000 in his primary campaign.^[77]

Turnout in the Democratic primary was approximately 26%.^[78]

2015 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results^[76]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Luke Bronin	5,110	54.81%
	Democratic	Pedro Segarra (incumbent)	4,213	45.19%
Turnout			9,323	26%

Theodore T. Cannon won the Republican nomination.

• Joel Cruz, Jr. (independent), city councilman^[79]
• Patrice Smith

Hartford is a highly Democratic city; therefore, Bronin was anticipated to win the general election.^[76]

2015 Hartford mayoral election results^[80][81]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Luke Bronin	7,550	75.64%
	Independent	Joel Cruz, Jr.	1,815	18.18%
	Republican	Theodore T. Cannon	480	4.80%
	Independent	Patrice Smith	111	1.11%
	Write-in	W. Michael Downes	26	0.26%
Turnout			9,982	17.31

2019 Hartford mayoral election

← 2015 November 5, 2019 2023 →
Turnout	14.74%
Candidate Luke Bronin Eddie Perez James Stanley McCauley Party Democratic Independent Democrat Republican Popular vote 7,638 1,221 846 Percentage 76.51% 12.23% 8.47%
Mayor before election Luke Bronin Democratic Elected mayor Luke Bronin Democratic

The 2019 Hartford mayoral election was held on November 5, 2019. Incumbent Democrat Luke Bronin won reelection.

The Democratic primary was held on September 10.^[82] The race had been considered competitive.^[82] Incumbent mayor Luke Bronin defeated former mayor Eddie Perez and state representative Brandon McGee in the Democratic primary.^[82]

Turnout in the Democratic primary was approximately 22%.^[78]

2019 Hartford mayoral Democratic primary results^[83]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Luke Bronin (incumbent)	5,386	59.08%
	Democratic	Eddie Perez	2,461	26.99%
	Democratic	Brandon McGee	1,270	13.93%
Turnout			9,117

Results by district[83]
District	Bronin		McGee		Perez		Total
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
1	26	63.89%	8	22.22%	5	13.89%	36
2	615	71.56%	74	9.57%	84	10.87%	773
3	226	65.68%	87	21.48%	52	12.84%	405
4	332	82.79%	37	9.23%	32	7.98%	401
5	319	67.73%	80	16.99%	72	15.29%	471
6	193	61.86%	64	20.51%	55	17.63%	312
7	502	74.15%	99	14.62%	76	11.23%	677
8	448	76.32%	49	8.35%	90	15.33%	587
9	89	54.27%	42	25.61%	33	20.12%	164
10	96	48.98%	20	10.2%	80	40.82%	196
11	81	59.12%	19	13.87%	37	27.01%	137
12	146	36.96%	62	15.7%	187	47.34%	395
13	123	40.46%	58	19.08%	123	40.46%	304
14	206	36.52%	73	12.94%	285	50.53%	564
15	302	56.98%	44	8.3%	184	34.72%	530
16	253	52.06%	48	9.88%	185	38.07%	486
17	174	46.52%	33	8.82%	167	44.65%	374
18	222	57.96%	27	7.05%	134	34.99%	383
19	111	37.00%	32	10.67%	157	52.33%	300
20	106	37.86%	34	12.14%	140	50.00%	280
21	178	47.34%	45	11.97%	153	40.69%	376
21	197	80.74%	19	7.79%	28	11.48%	244
23	66	43.71%	44	29.14%	41	27.15%	151
24	338	59.19%	172	30.12%	61	10.68%	571

Republicans cross endorsed candidate J. Stan McCauley, who had been running as an independent. This came despite McCauley identifying himself to be a Democrat.^[78][84] McCauley had twice before been a candidate for mayor.^[78]

Aaron Lewis, founder and director of the Scribe's Institute,^[85] changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Libertarian few months before the election and ran as their nominee.^[86]

• W. Michael Downes
• Giselle Gigi Jacobs
• Aaron Lewis (Libertarian)
• Eddie Perez, former mayor (2001–2010)^[84][87]

• Tylon R. Butler

2019 Hartford mayoral election results^[88][89]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Luke Bronin (incumbent)	7,638	76.51
	Independent Democrat	Eddie Perez	1,221	12.23
	Republican	James Stanley McCauley	846	8.47
	Independent	Giselle Gigi Jacobs	146	1.46
	Libertarian	Aaron Lewis	59	0.59
	Independent	Michael Downes	39	0.39
	Write-in	Tylon R. Butler	34	0.34
Turnout			9,983	14.74