Democratic gubernatorial challenger Josh Elliott’s first commercial asserts a rationale for his campaign against Gov. Ned Lamont, introduces himself while denigrating Lamont, and sketches a vision for a progressive Connecticut — all in one breathless minute.
The pace and scope of a commercial that will not be widely seen until Elliott locks down a $3.75 million public financing grant speaks to the challenger’s need to do many things at once with just four weeks until the first votes are cast in early voting for the Democratic nomination.
To that end, Elliott fairly burst out the doors of a restaurant onto a sidewalk in downtown Wallingford to propulsive guitar riffs and begins walking and talking briskly, looking straight into the camera.
“There’s a lot to love about Connecticut — the coast, the people, the pizza,” he says, wearing a smile that fades as he adds, “But we’re also the most unequal state in America, where good life is out of reach for too many. I’m Josh Elliot, Democrat, running for governor, because it doesn’t have to be this way.”
In a political season where leftists have prevailed in Democratic primaries, including three congressional contests won by allies of Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York, Elliott engages in class warfare. His ads are created by Mamdani’s consultant, the Fight Agency.
Elliott associates Lamont with billionaires in this ad, though he does not repeat his previous contested claim that the governor is a billionaire, flashing an image of a trio that has no direct connection to Connecticut’s independently wealthy governor: Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. But Elliott notes Lamont, who presided over a tax cut for working class voters, has been opposed to raising taxes on the wealthiest Connecticut residents.
“Make the billionaires pay their fair share,” Elliott says. “We’ve had enough of governors who are only looking out for themselves.”
The governor’s campaign took issue with the claim the governor is enriching himself.
“It’s rich for Josh to accuse the Governor of self-interest — he’s running for two offices at once, neglecting the job he was elected to do, and missing hundreds of votes along the way,” Rob Blanchard, a Lamont campaign spokesman, said in a text.
Elliott is running for reelection to an 11th term representing Hamden in the state House of Representatives while he seeks the Democratic nomination for governor.
Elliott previewed the spot on YouTube over the weekend, garnering 1,400 views in two days. It also is on social media. A larger audience must wait for his public financing grant, which cannot come before the State Elections Enforcement Commission next meets at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Last week, the commission postponed action on Elliot’s application for the grant under the voluntary Citizens’ Election Program, concluding he was slightly short of the $335,500 in validated contributions needed to qualify. Every contribution must come with paperwork attesting to its source. State contractors are barred. Most of the money must come from in-state donors, who can give between $5 and $340.
His campaign is focused on “curing” the disallowed contributions by providing additional information, not seeking additional donors, said a campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Murray.
The ad is consistent with the messaging employed by a campaign launched a year ago by Elliott, 41, a five-term lawmaker running to the left of Lamont in a long-shot effort that’s accomplished one significant milestone and appears on the verge of a second.
Elliott qualified in May for the August 11 primary by winning 25% of the delegate vote at the state convention, far more than the 15% threshold. And in late June, he filed an application for public financing that he is tantalizingly close to getting. Last week, he was just $1,993 shy of the $335,500 in validated contributions.
The two-track ad reflects the difficulties facing challengers of well-known incumbents: Elliott must simultaneously introduce himself to voters who know little about him —41% of likely primary voters, according to one independent poll — and make the case for dismissing a governor with positive approval ratings.
Lamont, who is largely self-funded and has opted out of the voluntary public financing program, is seeking a third term. He is on the air with a commercial touting his first two terms and previewing an agenda for a third.
That includes halting “corporate welfare,” the reliance of some major employers on Medicaid for employee health coverage. In Lamont’s first ad, there is a scene of an Amazon fulfillment center, a company controlled by Bezos.
“While Josh chases two jobs,” Blanchard said, “Governor Lamont is focused on one: delivering for Connecticut families by cutting taxes, paying down debt, and investing in schools, safety, and infrastructure.”
