In New Haven, voters will cast their ballots for mayor Tuesday, and the matchup is a familiar one.
The two candidates for mayor had very different final nights of the campaign season, but both had a similar message, each saying they’ve best connected with voters to win.
“We have a lot of momentum going into this race and I’m really excited,” said Mayor Toni Harp.
The Democrat was optimistic heading into election day, despite the primary night defeat and the absence of her party’s endorsement.
“I’ve been serving New Haven for the past 30 years. Our city is booming, developers want to come here. Our young people have opportunities and they’re doing better than they’ve ever done,” Harp said.
The three-term mayor will appear on the Working Families Party line in the election after losing the September primary to opponent Justin Elicker, who she beat in 2013 to become mayor.
The incumbent spent the night not in the Elm City, but in the capital city, attending a Women’s Hall of Fame gala where a New Haven resident was being honored.
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For Harp’s opponent, it was a different night. Elicker was campaigning at the Bella Vista Senior Living Community.
“Tomorrow is game day. We did really well in the primary and we’re excited about the victory and I think that victory is going to translate into a really positive day for us tomorrow,” Elicker said.
Elicker heads into the general election running on the Democratic line. The former city alder also has the support of major party leaders including Gov. Ned Lamont and Congresswoman Rosa Delauro.
“I’m grateful to have the endorsements. At the end of the day, the most important endorsement will happen tomorrow when voters get to the polls.”
There are also two registered write-in candidates in this mayoral race - Seth Poole and Roger Uihlein.
Both Harp and Elicker said after voting Tuesday they’ll keep campaigning and trying to connect with voters through election day.
