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FOX61 has Election Day team coverage as polls close and results start to roll in

9:15 p.m. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has won re-election to a seventh term representing eastern Connecticut. The Democrat from Vernon has represented the 2nd Congre...
2018_CUSTOMFS_TEAM COVERAGE 10 and 11pm

9:15 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has won re-election to a seventh term representing eastern Connecticut.

The Democrat from Vernon has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2007.

His challenger nominated by Republicans, Iraq War veteran Dan Postemski of Hampton, stopped campaigning weeks before the election. He said he stepped up when nobody else was willing to challenge the incumbent, but he was promised help that never materialized.

Courtney has emphasized his efforts as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to bolster submarine construction at Electric Boat in Groton and the nearby Navy base.

Also on the ballot were Green Party candidate Michelle Louise Bicking and Daniel Reale, a libertarian.

8:35 p.m.

FOX61 has learned that the the GOP has filed an injunction to segregate ballots cast late this evening after same-day registration.

The Secretary of the State’s office says some new, first-time voters in New Haven have been allowed to vote after swearing as a group they’ve never been registered to vote before in Connecticut.

Spokesman Gabe Rosenberg says there was a long line Tuesday at the city’s registrar’s office, where only two people were working. He says the city’s election staff asked state officials for guidance.

While the new voters’ ballots will count, he says they’ve been separated “out of an abundance of caution.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski’s campaign has raised concerns about a “mass swearing in” of new voters in New Haven and at the University of Connecticut, claiming it’s illegal.

Connecticut law requires people to be registered and in the system before the polls closed at 8 p.m.

8 p.m.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has won a second term in office, defeating a little-known Republican small businessman.

Murphy had amassed a war chest 100 times bigger than Matt Corey, who runs a high-rise window clean business in Hartford. It was a marked difference from his 2012 victory, when Murphy defeated former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who spent about $50 million of her own money on the race.

See state and nationwide election results here

The 45-year-old Murphy spent much of the campaign helping fellow Democrats. He also transferred $320,000 from his $14.5 million campaign fund to the state Democrats to help with field organizing.

Murphy has said he wanted to make sure Democrats were doing “everything possible to get the biggest turnout we could.”

Corey accused him of not taking the race seriously.

6 p.m.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill says roughly 40 percent of registered voters have turned out so far across Connecticut to cast their ballots.

The Democrat says Tuesday’s rainy weather hasn’t hampered turnout, which is typically about 55 percent to 65 percent in midterm elections. By mid-afternoon, about 8,000 people have used Connecticut’s same-day voter registration law, which allows them to register and vote on the same day.

Polls close at 8 p.m.

Merrill says the election has been “smooth,” with the exception of damp ballots and lines in some polling places. She says most municipalities have ordered extra ballots.

Merrill says about 50,000 younger voters between the ages of 18 and 24 have registered to vote since the 2016 presidential election. That’s up from the usual 16,000 younger voters.

President Donald Trump is on the minds of many Connecticut voters even though he’s not on any ballots this year.

Lelaneia Dubay, of Hartford, says she is worried about Trump’s policies harming women’s and LGBTQ rights, saying the president has divided America and “we have forgotten that united we stand, divided we fall.” She voted for Democrats Tuesday.

Norwich Democrat Linda Theodoru says she voted for Democrat Ned Lamont for governor because she is also worried about women’s health, education and the environment. She says she is “so afraid” of Republicans taking control of the state Senate.

Republican voters say the election is chiefly about the state’s poor economy and high taxes under Democratic majority rule.
Hartford Republican Ken Lerman says Connecticut needs a “change in government” because taxes keep rising.
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3:50 p.m.
Some Connecticut voters got a ride to the polls with a special chauffeur — actor Sam Waterston of “Law & Order” TV fame.
The Litchfield County resident drove some Waterbury residents to their polling places Tuesday.

Democratic congressional candidate Jahana Hayes posted video on social media showing Waterston wearing a Hayes campaign T-shirt while talking with two women. One was a first-time voter who said she didn’t know her driver was a famous actor until people started asking for his autograph at her local polling location.

Hayes, a political newcomer and former national teacher of the year , is running against Republican former Meriden Mayor Manny Santos for the 5th District seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty.

Connecticut voters also are deciding races for governor, U.S. Senate and other seats.
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1:55 p.m.
Connecticut election officials say midmorning reports show about 22 percent of the state’s registered voters cast their ballots in the close race for governor and other contests.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill’s office released preliminary turnout figures early Tuesday afternoon. A spokesman says Merrill is not predicting what the final turnout figure will be.

About 77 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2016 election.
Long lines at many polling places and no major voting problems were reported Tuesday morning. Turnout dropped at some locations later in the morning as heavy rains began to fall.

Polling in the governor’s race has shown Greenwich Democrat Ned Lamont and Madison Republican Bob Stefanowski in a tight race for the seat being vacated by Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
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10:55 a.m.
Connecticut officials say voter turnout appears to be brisk as residents decide the state’s close battle for governor and other races.

The Secretary of the State’s Office says there were reports of long lines at many polling places Tuesday morning, but no reports of any major problems. The 2.16 million registered voters in the state is the highest number in recent memory.

At a polling place in Hartford, some Democrats said the election was about repudiating the policies and behavior of President Donald Trump. A Republican voter said Tuesday was more about state issues such as high taxes.

Polling in the governor’s race has shown Greenwich Democrat Ned Lamont and Madison Republican Bob Stefanowski in a tight race for the seat being vacated by Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
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6:40 a.m.
Connecticut voters will be deciding the winner of the state’s latest close battle for governor.

Polling leading up to Tuesday’s election has shown Greenwich Democrat Ned Lamont and Madison Republican Bob Stefanowski in a tight race to fill the seat being vacated by Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

The two-term governor narrowly won the state’s top office in 2010 and 2014.

As in those years, Connecticut continues to face fiscal challenges, including projected budget deficits and unfunded pension liabilities.
Petitioning independent candidate Oz Griebel has urged voters to vote for a team that’s not beholden to political parties.

Besides governor, there are battles for other statewide offices and the legislature. In many cases, Republicans are accusing Democrats of supporting Malloy, while Democrats have accused Republicans of backing President Donald Trump.

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