New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart made an announcement about her political future on Tuesday and says she has filed the paperwork to explore a run for governor of Connecticut.
New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart made an announcement about her political future on Tuesday and says she has filed the paperwork to explore a run for governor of Connecticut.
She filed paperwork last week that indicated she was considering a run for statewide office in the upcoming election.
According to paperwork filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, or SEEC, Stewart intends to form an exploratory committee to run for statewide office.
Stewart says she is exploring a run for governor of the state in 2026.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
"Connecticut’s new generation of leadership is reporting for duty today, and I'm ready to do this," Stewart said during a news conference on Tuesday.
She said she's going to participate in the Citizen's Election Program, which provides state-funded grants to candidates. Her fundraising goal is $350,000.
"I don’t have the means to finance my own campaign to write a check for millions of dollars to do this," Stewart said.
Local
She also said she's gauging to see how Republicans feel about her running. She acknowledged the next gubernatorial nominee will need to lift up the entire party, as Republicans have not won a statewide office since 2006.
"We haven’t won an election or a gubernatorial election since George W. Bush was president," she said. "We have to do something different."
She criticized Lamont and Democrats, but didn't share many policy goals for a potential candidacy. She said she'll make an announcement in the fall.
Back in September, Stewart announced that she will not be seeking re-election for a seventh term as mayor.
When Stewart was elected in 2013 at the age of 26, she was the youngest person to ever hold the office and she has become the city's longest-serving Republican mayor.
In November 2023, she was elected to a sixth two-year term. Stewart also briefly ran for governor in 2018.
