On Election Night 2024, Connecticut voters reaffirmed their preference for Democratic leadership, strengthening the party’s so-called “legislative trifecta” of holding control of the governor’s mansion, the state House of Representatives and the state Senate.
At the same time, Republican Donald Trump’s presidential re-election bid gained traction statewide. While Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris still won Connecticut on election night, Trump’s vote totals improved in nearly every city and town in the state, compared to 2020.
Sacred Heart University political science professor Gary Rose, a noted expert on the Connecticut GOP, sees this as a sign of opportunity for Republicans in the state — if they focus on the right issues.
“We had a presidential candidate in Donald Trump articulating very real concerns about having an economy that works for them and that brings down the cost of living as well,” Rose said. “And then, of course, the immigration issue too.”
A rightward shift — or not
Despite Trump’s gains, Rose cautioned against interpreting these numbers as evidence of a larger ideological shift.
“More voters were voting Republican [for president] than normal, but it was largely because of those issues that I think they feel are affecting their lives directly in Connecticut,” he explained. “I would not describe that as a clear movement to the right.”
A precarious position
The state GOP’s fortunes are worse now following Election 2024, Rose said, because they lost seats . And, in one respect, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s fortunes are slightly worse too.
With 25 senate seats and at least 102 house seats, state Democrats now have a supermajority that can override any of Lamont’s vetoes.
State Republicans are now in less control of the state’s legislative agenda than they’ve been in nearly 40 years.
How much to embrace Trump?
“[CT GOP’s] main objective in the days ahead is to present an agenda that allows them to expand their base to voting groups that I think do have the potential for voting Republican,” Rose said. “The issues that Donald Trump was articulating — the economy and immigration — could, in fact, be part of that agenda.”
As for the groups Rose was referring to, Rose said he sees significant opportunities for Republicans to attract nonwhite voters, particularly Hispanic voters, Black men, and Asian American voters. He argued that these groups could become key allies if Republicans address their concerns effectively.
However, Rose warned that an effective strategy for Connecticut Republicans would not mean adopting Trump’s full political persona. “They have to move towards Trump on bread-and-butter issues,” Rose said. “They do not want to get into the social and moral issues because those issues are simply unelectable in the state of Connecticut.”
A more urban approach
For decades, the Connecticut Republican Party has relied on its strongholds in smaller, rural towns. Rose believes this approach is unsustainable.
“They can't just depend on a lot of these small rural towns,” he said. “I think you're going to see a more urbanized type of approach within the Republican Party in the days ahead.”
A call for open primaries
One of Rose’s more striking recommendations was a push for open primaries in Connecticut.
“We have 41% of the electorate here in Connecticut that's unaffiliated. They can't vote in primaries,” he noted. “If they could open their primaries, I'm sure they could draw a lot more moderate and enthusiastic voters to the party, and that would help them in a tremendous way in the general election.”
The road ahead
Whether the party can pivot effectively remains to be seen, but as Rose concluded, “The Connecticut Republican Party has the potential to reinvent itself. Whether it chooses to do so will determine its future.”
