Three Republicans have firmly declared their intention to run for governor while seeking their party’s nomination: Betsy McCaughey, Ryan Fazio and Erin Stewart.
Here is a brief rundown on Erin Stewart.
What is Erin Stewart’s political experience?
Former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart is the only announced Republican candidate for governor in 2026 to have served as an elected chief executive.
At age 26, Stewart became the youngest mayor and second woman to be elected in New Britain in 2013. She upset first-term Democratic incumbent Tim O’Brien in that contest and then was re-elected five times in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 4 to 1.
Stewart won a sixth term in 2023, defeating her Democratic challenger by slightly more than 1,800 votes. The lifelong city resident left office as the longest-serving Republican mayor and tied as the longest-serving mayor. She also had served on the New Britain Board of Education for two years before running for mayor.
In September 2024, Stewart announced she would not seek a seventh term in office, and four months later she formed an exploratory committee for governor in January 2025. She officially announced her candidacy in November, and she became the first gubernatorial candidate in the 2026 campaign to qualify for public financing through the Citizens’ Election Program in January.
In addition to her former role as mayor, Stewart served as a member of the Connecticut Board of Regents, chairwoman of the Capitol Region Council of Governments and as a member of the board of directors for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.
What do we know about her personal life?
Stewart is married to Domenic Mutone, a city worker in New Britain, and the couple have two children, Lina, age 5, and Nicky, 2.
She was born and raised in New Britain, attended city schools and graduated from New Britain High School in 2005. She earned an undergraduate degree in public administration from Central Connecticut State University in 2009, and recently completed her master’s degree in public administration and finance from University of New Haven.
Stewart comes from a well-established political family in New Britain. She is the daughter of former eight-term Mayor Tim Stewart and a number of her uncles served on the New Britain Common Council. Her uncle, Dominic Badolato, was an 11-term Democratic state representative who also was executive director of AFSCME Council 4 from 1968 to 1996.
In 2014, Connecticut Magazine named Stewart on its “40 Under 40” list of the most promising and influential young professionals under the age of 40 in the state. From 2022-24, the Hartford Business Journal named Stewart to its “Power 50” list, the business publication’s annual ranking of the 50 most influential leaders in Greater Hartford and across Connecticut.
Why is Stewart in the race for governor?
Stewart is running because she said she wants to turn around Connecticut like she did the city of New Britain.
She is highlighting her record as mayor of New Britain, including closing a budget deficit of more than $30 million during her first term and increasing the city’s budget reserve fund to $34 million during her final term. Under her tenure, New Britain received significant upgrades from the major Wall Street bond rating agencies, which she and her campaign say reflect the city’s much improved fiscal health since 2013.
Stewart said she also is running for governor to counteract what she calls Connecticut’s political shift too far to the left, and bring back balance to state politics and government. She said she wants to bring real change to working families across the state, just as she said she did for every neighborhood in New Britain.
What makes Stewart a strong candidate?
Stewart is emphasizing what she calls her working-class roots growing up in New Britain, and she is presenting herself as a Hartford outsider; a Republican mayor who won election six times in a heavily Democratic city and delivered transformative results; and a working mom of two young children who understands the challenges of living, working and raising a family for everyday people.
In addition to being a member of a political family in New Britain, she was a Republican political professional before becoming mayor of the state’s eighth most populous city, working for then-U.S. Rep. Nancy L. Johnson in college. She then joined the staff of Gov. M. Jodi Rell and later took a position as a legislative aide for the state Senate’s Republican caucus.
Stewart touts herself as a brash-talking, plain-speaking candidate unafraid to tell Connecticut like it is and who will do the same if elected governor.
She also has youth appeal. At age 39, Stewart could become the second-youngest governor behind Gov. John G. Rowland by two years. If elected, she would be the third woman voted to hold the state’s highest office after Democratic Gov. Ella T. Grasso in 1978 and Rell in 2006.
Stewart also has experiencing running as a statewide candidate. She ran briefly for the Republican nomination for governor in 2018 but later dropped out to run for the nomination for lieutenant governor. She finished second in a three-way primary behind then-state Sen. Joseph C. Markley of Southington. The GOP gubernatorial ticket lost that year to Democrats Ned Lamont and Susan Bysiewicz, who are seeking a third term this year.