The new Quinnipiac poll out today gives Democrat Ned Lamont a slight edge over Republican Bob Stefanowski in the race for governor, but that margin is only a few percentage points, leaving most to say this is still either man’s race.
On Tuesday all three candidates for governor tried to make their case to voters about why they should be the choice next Tuesday.
In the final debate of the gubernatorial race, unaffiliated candidate Oz Griebel, Lamont and Stefanowski made a final appeal to voters with one similar message – vote for me to turn Connecticut around.
“The choice you have in seven days is more of the same, another four years of Dan Malloy or a change that’s going to get this economy moving and get the state of CT finally, after eight years, finally turned around,” Stefanowski said.
“You need a governor who is going to be absolutely fearless when it comes to shaking up Hartford and taking on the entrenched interests. That’s what I have done my entire life,” Lamont said.
Griebel defended his candidacy, and claimed he could be the race’s spoiler.
“The option that Monte Frank and I offer you is to elect a ticket that is focused not on sustaining the parties, but on focusing on you as CT taxpayers, residents and employers,” Griebel said.
Politics
The three candidates took aim at each other’s positions on perhaps the sorest subject for many Connecticut voters, the property tax.
“We’ve got to do everything we can to build up our towns, build up our cities and hold down the property tax,” Lamont argued.
“The most important thing on the property tax side is to make sure we don’t lower the income tax so those taxes get transferred into the municipalities. There’s no free lunch here,” Griebel said.
“We are never going to get out of this problem we’re in by cuts, cuts, cuts. We’ve got to grow our way out,” Stefanowski reasoned.
With just a week until the election, Stefanowski and Lamont say they believe they’ve got the support of the voters to come out on top on election day.
“If we don’t get this economy moving, there’s not going to be anybody left in this state to worry about it,” Stefanowski said.
“The difference between Bob and I is like night and day. I don’t have to get into that - but what a difference it’s going to make in terms of their towns and their kids for the next six days,” Lamont said.
The Quinnipiac poll shows Griebel with a percentage that could tip the race in either of the other two candidates’ favor.
Both Stefanowski and Lamont were asked if they believe Griebel should get out of the race – both declined to offer and opinion and said they’d leave that decision to Griebel.
