Connecticut is facing a "real race for a tough job" in its governor's race this fall, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said Wednesday.
"One of the stories out of Connecticut is yet another chapter in the story of what we are seeing nationally, which is just unbelievable Democratic enthusiasm," Himes told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "You know, we saw Ned Lamont get something like 30,000 more votes than all five Republican candidates combined."
Lamont, a wealthy businessman, took the Democratic nomination in Tuesday's race, and will face former General Electric executive Bob Stefanowski, whose Republican primary race President Donald Trump endorsed, calling him "tough on crime" and "a big cutter of taxes."
Himes said the nation's gubernatorial races are also important, as 2018 is a critical year that will determine redistricting for the next decade.
The messages will be a bit different, however, when it comes to picking up seats in the Midwest in places like Ohio and West Virginia, Himes said.
"It's important that we say we are rejecting the bigotry, the divisiveness, the just sheer insanity, the Omarosa White House reality TV show that has become our national leadership," Himes added. "But we want to shift the conversation, and I think this is to some extent what we may have gotten wrong in 2016. [We want to] shift the conversation to the message of economic hope and economic possibility for people who have been left behind."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.