Governor of Connecticut
| Connecticut Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $226,711 (Salary forgone) |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $4,645,803 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
Governor of Connecticut
Ned Lamont | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Last election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Other Connecticut Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Secretary of State•Attorney General•Treasurer•Comptroller•Commissioner of Education•Agriculture Commissioner•Insurance Commissioner•Energy & Environmental Protection Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Public Utilities Regulatory Authority |
The Governor of the State of Connecticut is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Connecticut.
The current Connecticut Constitution, ratified in 1965, establishes a four-year term for the governor, commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in the January following an election.
The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor, for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket, a provision added in 1962. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Before the adoption of the 1965 constitution, the lieutenant governor only served as acting governor.[1]
Connecticut has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
Connecticut has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The 89th and current governor of Connecticut is Ned Lamont (D).[2] He was first elected in November 2018 and took office on January 9, 2019.
The state constitution establishes the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5
|
The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor.[1] |
Qualifications
| State Executives |
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| Current Governors |
| Gubernatorial Elections |
| 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 |
| Current Lt. Governors |
| Lt. Governor Elections |
| 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 |
All gubernatorial candidates must be at least 30 years old and a qualified elector and resident of Connecticut on the day of the election (§ 5).
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5
|
The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor. No person who is not an elector of the state, and who has not arrived at the age of thirty years, shall be eligible. [1] |
To be a qualified elector, a voter must be at least 18 years old and a resident.
Connecticut Constitution, Article VI, Section 1
|
Every citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, who is a bona fide resident of the town in which he seeks to be admitted as an elector and who takes such oath, if any, as may be prescribed by law, shall be qualified to be an elector.[3] |
Elections
Connecticut state government organizational chart
- See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
- See also: Election of governors
Connecticut elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For Connecticut, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the first Monday in the January following an election.
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 1
|
A general election for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of the state, treasurer and comptroller shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1966, and quadrennially thereafter.[1] |
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 1
|
Such officers shall hold their respective offices from the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding their election until the Wednesday following the first Monday of the fifth January succeeding their election and until their successors are duly qualified.'[1] |
2022
General election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Aaron Lewis (L)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ned Lamont advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Connecticut.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Bob Stefanowski advanced from the Republican primary for Governor of Connecticut.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2018
General election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kameron Scott (Independent)
- Micah Welintukonis (Independent)
- Thomas Ford (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jonathan Harris (D)
- Lee Whitnum (D)
- Betheona Guiles-Smith (D)
- Guy Smith (D)
- Jacey Wyatt (D)
- Luke Bronin (D)
- Sean Connolly (D)
Republican primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Eric Mastroianni (R)
- David Walker (R)
- Antonietta Boucher (R)
- Dave Walker (R)
- Peter Thalheim (R)
- Joseph Visconti (R)
- Mark Lauretti (R)
- Peter Lumaj (R)
- Prasad Srinivasan (R)
- Scott Merrell (R)
- Michael Handler (R)
2014
- See also: Connecticut Gubernatorial election, 2014
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Dan Malloy/Nancy Wyman Incumbent |
50.7% | 554,314 | |
| Republican | Tom Foley/Heather Somers | 48.2% | 526,295 | |
| Independent | Joe Visconti/Chester Harris | 1% | 11,456 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 708 | |
| Total Votes | 1,092,773 | |||
| Election results via Connecticut Secretary of State |
Term limits
- See also: States with gubernatorial term limits
Connecticut governors do not have term limits.
Partisan composition
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Connecticut governors from 1992 to 2013.
Vacancies
- See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
The vacancy procedure for the office of governor Article IV, Sections 18, 19, and 21.
Under any circumstances where the elected governor is unable or unwilling to discharge the office, the elected lieutenant governor shall, as soon as he takes the oath of office, become the governor and hold the office until the next regularly scheduled election.
Duties
The Governor of Connecticut is responsible for upholding the constitution and faithfully executing all laws (Article 4, § 12), is the head of Connecticut's military forces at all times other than when those forces have been called into national service (§ 8). Under § 11, the governor must periodically address the joint session of the legislature with details of the current state of Connecticut's affairs and suggestions for policy.
§ 13 gives the governor the prerogative to grant reprieves after conviction. However, Connecticut stands out from other states in that the governor does not have the ability to grant pardons. Additionally, the right to grant reprieves does not extend to cases of impeachment.
Under § 15 and § 16, the governor has a veto on all bills, including appropriations, subject to a supermajority override by the legislature.
Other duties and privileges of the office include:
- adjourning the legislature when the body cannot agree on a time to adjourn itself, until a date the governor deems proper (§ 10)
- requiring written reports from any and all officers of the Executive branch on any aspect of that officer's job (§ 9)
- authorizing and signing all commissions given by the state of Connecticut (§ 14)
Divisions
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Connecticut has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
State budget
Role in state budget
- See also: Connecticut state budget and finances
The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[4]
- Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in July.
- State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in September.
- The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in February.
- The legislature adopts a budget in May or June. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year begins on July 1.
Connecticut is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[4][5]
The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget. Likewise, the legislature must adopt a balanced budget.[4]
Governor's office budget
The budget for the Governor's Office in the 2025 Fiscal Year was $4,645,803.[6]
Compensation
The salaries of Connecticut's elected state executives are determined by law as mandated by the Connecticut Constitution.[7] Article IV, Section 7 of the state constitution also requires all changes in salary to take effect following the next election for the affected offices:
| Text of Section 7:
The compensations of the governor and lieutenant-governor shall be established by law, and shall not be varied so as to take effect until after an election, which shall next succeed the passage of the law establishing such compensations.[7] |
2023
In 2023, the governor's salary was $226,711, but it was forgone by Governor Ned Lamont (D) according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the governor's salary was $150,000, but was forgone by Governor Ned Lamont (D) according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the governor's salary was $150,000, but was forgone by Governor Ned Lamont (D) according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the governor's salary was $150,000, but was forgone by Governor Ned Lamont (D) according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the governor received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2012
In 2012, the governor was paid an estimated $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
Partisan breakdown of the Connecticut governorship from 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, there were Democratic governors in office for three years while there were Republican governors in office for 16 years. During the final three years, Connecticut was under Democratic trifectas.
Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Connecticut, the Connecticut State Senate and the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
.PNG)
SQLI and partisanship
The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Connecticut state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Between the years 1992 and 2005, Connecticut ranked in the top-10 in the SQLI ranking, in the top-5 for twelve of those thirteen years, and ranked 1st in 1992 and 1993. Beginning 2005, Connecticut dropped out of the top-10 and began a trend downward until hitting its lowest spot during the period of the study (33rd in 2012). Connecticut had divided government for eighteen years before having a Democratic trifecta in 2011. The state’s greatest decline in the SQLI ranking occurred between 2011 and 2012, when Connecticut dropped fourteen spots in the rankings. Connecticut has never had a Republican trifecta between 1992 and 2012.
- SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 26.00
- SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A
- SQLI average with divided government: 6.63
Chart displaying the partisanship of Connecticut government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).
Historical officeholders
There have been 89 Governors of Connecticut since 1639, including 68 after joining the Union in 1788. Since statehood, 28 governors were Republican, 22 were Democratic, seven were Federalist, six were Whig, two were Democratic Republican and three were from minor parties.[19]
| # | Name | Term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Samuel Huntington | Federalist | |
| 23 | Oliver Wolcott | Federalist | |
| 24 | Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. | Federalist | |
| 25 | John Treadwell | Federalist | |
| 26 | Roger Griswold | Federalist | |
| 27 | John Cotton Smith | Federalist | |
| 28 | Oliver Wolcott, Jr. | Democratic Republican | |
| 29 | Gideon Tomlinson | Democratic Republican | |
| 30 | John S. Peters | National Republican | |
| 31 | Henry W. Edwards | Democratic | |
| 32 | Samuel A. Foot | Whig | |
| 31 | Henry W. Edwards | Democratic | |
| 33 | William W. Ellsworth | Whig | |
| 34 | Chauncey F. Cleveland | Democratic | |
| 35 | Roger S. Baldwin | Whig | |
| 36 | Isaac Toucey | Democratic | |
| 37 | Clark Bissell | Whig | |
| 38 | Joseph Trumbull | Whig | |
| 39 | Thomas H. Seymour | Democratic | |
| 40 | Charles H. Pond | Democratic | |
| 41 | Henry Dutton | Whig | |
| 42 | William T. Minor | American | |
| 43 | Alexander H. Holley | American, Republican | |
| 44 | William A. Buckingham | Republican | |
| 45 | Joseph R. Hawley | ||
| 46 | James E. English | Democratic | |
| 47 | Marshall Jewell | Republican | |
| 48 | Charles R. Ingersoll | Democratic | |
| 49 | Richard D. Hubbard | Democratic | |
| 50 | Charles B. Andrews | Republican | |
| 51 | Hobart B. Bigelow | Republican | |
| 52 | Thomas M. Waller | Democratic | |
| 53 | Henry B. Harrison | Republican | |
| 54 | Phineas C. Lounsbury | Republican | |
| 55 | Morgan G. Bulkely | Republican | |
| 56 | Luzon B. Morris | Democratic | |
| 57 | O. Vincent Coffin | Republican | |
| 58 | Lorrin A. Cooke | Republican | |
| 59 | George E. Lounsbury | Republican | |
| 60 | George P. McLean | Republican | |
| 61 | Abiram Chamberlain | Republican | |
| 62 | Henry Roberts | Republican | |
| 63 | Rollin S. Woodruff | Republican | |
| 64 | George L. Lilley | Republican | |
| 65 | Frank B. Weeks | Republican | |
| 66 | Simeon E. Baldwin | Democratic | |
| 67 | Marcus H. Holcomb | Republican | |
| 68 | Everett J. Jake | Republican | |
| 69 | Charles A. Templeton | Republican | |
| 70 | Hiram Bingham | Republican | |
| 71 | John H. Trumbull | Republican | |
| 72 | Wilbur L. Cross | Democratic | |
| 73 | Raymond E. Baldwin | Republican | |
| 74 | Robert A. Hurley | Democratic | |
| 73 | Raymond E. Baldwin | Republican | |
| 75 | Wilbert Snow | Democratic | |
| 76 | James L. McConaughy | Republican | |
| 77 | James C. Shannon | Republican | |
| 78 | Chester Bowles | Democratic | |
| 79 | John D. Lodge | Republican | |
| 80 | Abraham A. Ribicoff | Democratic | |
| 81 | John Dempsey | Democratic | |
| 82 | Thomas J. Meskill | Republican | |
| 83 | Ella T. Grasso | Democratic | |
| 84 | William A. O'Neill | Democratic | |
| 85 | Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. | A Connecticut | |
| 86 | John G. Rowland | Republican | |
| 87 | M. Jodi Rell | Republican | |
| 88 | Dan Malloy | Democratic | |
| 89 | Ned Lamont | Democratic |
State profile
| Demographic data for Connecticut | ||
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 3,584,730 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 4,842 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 10.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 14.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 37.6% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $70,331 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Connecticut. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
Presidential voting pattern
Connecticut voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Connecticut, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[20]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Connecticut had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Connecticut coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Connecticut
- United States congressional delegations from Connecticut
- Public policy in Connecticut
- Endorsers in Connecticut
- Connecticut fact checks
- More...
Contact information
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Tel: 860-566-4840
Toll-Free: 800-406-1527
TDD: 860-524-7397
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Connecticut General Assembly, "CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ The Office of Governor Ned Lamont, "Home," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "1965 Connecticut State Constitution," accessed June 21, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, "2024-2025 Biennial Budget," accessed December 6, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Justia, "2012 Connecticut General Statutes," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries," January 14, 2021
- ↑ Museum of Connecticut History, "Roster of Connecticut Governors," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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