Connecticut Supreme Court

By: Kaila DeSaix

On November 5, 2019, Incumbent Mayor of Bridgeport, CT, Joe Ganim, officially won four more years, marking his seventh term in office. Ganim’s re-election campaign has been a controversial one. His rival in the Democratic primary election, Marilyn Moore, accused Ganim of winning the Democratic primary through absentee voter fraud. Ganim is not unfamiliar with accusations of political fraud and corruption. Ganim has been a controversial political figure since his seven-year stint in federal prison following his fifth term as Bridgeport mayor. Following his release from prison, his message of redemption and second chances won him an unlikely sixth term as mayor in 2015. Despite his successful comeback, some Democrats remain suspicious of his political dealings, as evidenced by his highly contested primary election win in September. This year’s election continued to be controversial up through the day before the general election when a decision was made by the Connecticut Supreme Court to proceed with the general election despite a voter fraud lawsuit still being on appeal against Ganim.