Why does Ned Lamont want a rare third term?

Greenwich time, Nov 14, 2025 

By Ken Dixon 

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" WEST HARTFORD — Gov. Ned Lamont's campaign for a possibly historic third term was set to kick off in Bridgeport on Friday, the first of several statewide stops culminating in Waterbury, as he meets voters and promotes plans to lower Connecticut's energy costs, widen day care opportunities and build more affordable housing to promote economic growth.

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'People were pretty down and jobs were leaving the state. (General Electric) had left. Young people were leaving. We tried our best to turn things turned around and get people to believe in this state again. We were making real progress, then COVID hit, so that took us for a loop. Today our economy's pretty strong. One of the fastest growing economies in the country. That's a pretty good thing. Unemployment is below the national average.'

Lamont made his political bones back in 2006, when in opposition to the Iraq War, the suburban cable entrepreneur took on U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, defeating him in a primary, but losing in the general election when Lieberman ran as an independent. Lamont recalls that next 10 years as the state lurched from fiscal crisis to crisis, before the legislature, under then-Gov. Dannel Malloy, adopted fiscal constraints that have resulted in steady budget surpluses, extra payments into state employee and teacher pensions and a robust emergency reserve fund.

"I remember '08 and '09 really well and I sometimes worry that nobody in the legislature remembers that and they feel like the rainy day fund is just money under the mattress," he said. 'You know when our revenues take a dip they hit hard. I want to make sure that people are protected.' He said the state is in much better shape than back eight years ago. Young people can get free community college training to get into the workforce with no debt, he noted. "