Connecticut Democrats will decide Aug. 11 whether Gov. Ned Lamont or state Rep. Josh Elliott of Hamden will represent their party in November.
Two days later, a coalition of state employee unions plans to hold a gubernatorial forum featuring Lamont and Republican nominee Ryan Fazio.
Judging from the event listing, however, the Democratic primary has already been settled.
The Aug. 13 forum is organized by the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) and was posted on the AFT Connecticut website. SEBAC representsunions covering Connecticut state employees and negotiates with the state over pension and health benefits. AFT Connecticut has said SEBAC includes 11 of its affiliated unions and chapters.
The event page describes Lamont and Fazio as “the major party candidates for governor in the 2026 General Election.” Both were invited to answer questions from state employees about their records and their visions for Connecticut.
Elliott is not mentioned.
That description would be accurate after Aug. 11, should Lamont win the Democratic primary. But the listing was posted before Democrats had voted, for a forum scheduled 48 hours after the primary election.
Lamont may be the favorite. A recent Impact CT poll shows him leading Elliott by 21 percentage points, and Lamont won the Democratic convention endorsement. But Elliott qualified for the primary ballot, received public campaign financing and participated in a televised debate with the governor. Democratic voters, not union officials or event organizers, should determine the nominee.
The omission is more notable because an AFT Connecticut affiliate has endorsed Elliott.
The New Haven Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 933, announced its support for Elliott on July 28. AFT Connecticut has not publicly announced an institutional endorsement in the primary, although its president, Sen. Jan Hochadel (D-Meriden), has endorsed Lamont in her capacity as a Democratic legislator.
That creates an unusual alignment: an AFT Connecticut affiliate is backing Elliott, the federation’s president is backing Lamont, and the federation’s website is hosting a listing that identifies Lamont as one of the two major-party candidates.
The forum is also not open to the general public.
According to the event listing, space is limited, and only affiliated union members in good standing and their families are eligible to attend. The forum is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the University of Hartford, and food will be provided.
The audience will therefore consist of members of unions whose contracts, benefits and working conditions are directly affected by decisions the next governor will make. SEBAC’s current agreement with the state expires in June 2027, meaning the winner of the November election will negotiate the coalition’s next contract.
SEBAC and its affiliated unions have every right to hold the event, question the candidates and support whomever they choose. But the listing does more than treat Lamont as the favorite. It identifies him as one of the two major-party candidates in the general election before Democrats have chosen their nominee.
If Lamont wins Aug. 11, the organizers will have anticipated the result correctly. If Elliott wins, SEBAC will have roughly 48 hours to revise the listing, extend an invitation to the actual Democratic nominee and determine whether he is able to attend.
Either way, the nomination is decided by Democratic voters. They vote Aug. 11.
