Incumbent Joe Ganim has won Bridgeport's mayoral primary do-over, according to data from the Secretary of the State.
In a speech after polls closed, Ganim said about 1,000 more voters came out and cast their ballots.
"Our residents came out again and again and again, and what did they say? Joe Ganim!" Communications Director Rowena White said.
Data shows that Ganim received 56% of the vote while challenger John Gomes received about 44% of the vote, respectively.
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The Secretary of the State's Office said about 21% of voters turned out to cast their ballots. Ganim received a total of 4.971 votes, data shows.
"This is a moment for all of us who've worked so hard to reach out to the people that we serve in the city of Bridgeport, and to remind them how important it is to come out and vote," Ganim said.
Gomes said he's still considering his options as to whether or not he goes forward in the general election. Even though Ganim received more votes in the primary, Gomes can still run in the general election do-over as an independent.
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"I want to express my gratitude to the people of Bridgeport for turning out yesterday and participating in the Democratic Primary," Gomes said in a statement on Wednesday. "While the unofficial results did not align with our expectations, we take pride in the movement focusing on Education, Public Safety, Economic Development, and Good Governance that began fourteen months ago with you, the people of Bridgeport. In the coming days, our team will assess our path forward.
A judge ordered a Democratic mayoral primary after a video surfaced, appearing to show a city hall employee and Ganim supporter making several drops into an absentee ballot box ahead of September’s primary.
Since then, both candidates have accused each other’s staff of engaging in misconduct.
A week before Tuesday’s primary, the Secretary of the State filed a complaint that a person not registered with the town clerk’s office was circulating absentee ballot applications.
Election fraud can be reported to the CT Election Day Hotline at 1-866-733-2463.
