蜜桃影视

EDlection2018: This is one of several dozen races we’ve analyzed for the 2018 midterms that could go on to influence state or federal education policy. Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox; sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter.

After a close call on Election Night, Democrat Ned Lamont has been elected governor of Connecticut, the Hartford Courant . Republican nominee Bob Stefanowski conceded the race on Wednesday morning, surrendering the GOP鈥檚 best opportunity to pick up a governor鈥檚 seat this cycle.

Democrat Ned Lamont elected next CT Governor; Stefanowski concedes

鈥� Bill Flood (@Bill_Flood)

Political observers had predicted a close race dictated by competing headwinds: the Northeast鈥檚 backlash against President Trump is felt strongly in Connecticut, limiting Stefanowski鈥檚 ceiling of support, but the unpopularity of incumbent Gov. Dan Malloy has also hurt Democrats chances.

The governor has seen his approval ratings drop as he has attempted to grapple with Connecticut鈥檚 tough financial situation. Skyrocketing retirement costs for public employees 鈥� most prominently public school teachers 鈥� have the state鈥檚 accountants worried, even as businesses have have been leaving the state for Boston and New York. Malloy鈥檚 nostrum of tax hikes mixed with reductions in municipal aid have proven a bitter remedy.

In the midst of fiscal worries, Connecticut schools are something of a bright spot, providing some of the highest student achievement of any state. But achievement gaps between rich and poor students are also some of the widest in the country, and the state鈥檚 school funding distribution has attracted a host of legal challenges as critics charge that it systematically underfunds needy districts.

Stefanowski鈥檚 signature campaign item was to slash taxes, including a gradual elimination of both estate and income taxes. Such a move would greatly reduce the available pot of money for both pension payments and school funding, Lamont argued. He proposed instead to fully fund the state鈥檚 Education Cost Sharing fund, allowing schools to hire more social workers, teachers, and counselors.

Those kinds of ambitious moves will be challenging given their cost, according to Ronald Schurin, a political science professor at the University of Connecticut.

鈥淕overnor-elect Lamont鈥檚 challenge won鈥檛 be philosophy but arithmetic,鈥� he told 蜜桃影视 in an email. 鈥� Like his predecessor, he will try to meet the needs of constituencies across the state 鈥� including school districts and public colleges 鈥� without major tax increases. It will be a daunting task.鈥�

The new governor will have reinforcements coming 鈥� after years of seeing its majorities dwindle in both chambers of the state legislature, his party . An 18-18 tie in the state Senate flipped to solid blue control, with Democrats winning at least 23 seats. They could grab as many as 12 seats in the House, giving them a comfortable 92-59 majority.

Still, Lamont鈥檚 narrow margin of victory made this the third consecutive Connecticut governor鈥檚 race decided by just a few percentage points. In a state this blue, that means that many Democrats harked to Stefanowski鈥檚 tax-cutting message 鈥� likely indicating voter fatigue with the pace of retrenchment in what has always been one of the richest areas in the country. The governor-elect struck a conciliatory note in his victory speech, promising to work with those who had opposed his candidacy.

鈥淚鈥檓 reaching out to the folks that supported [Stefanowski],鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got to bring people together to 鈥� make the decisions we need to get this state growing again.

EDlection2018: This is one of several dozen races we’ve analyzed for the 2018 midterms that could go on to influence state or federal education policy. Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox; sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter.

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