BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The mayor of Bridgeport, Joe Ganim, declared himself the winner early Wednesday of a disputed election thrown into uncertainty by allegations of voting irregularities in a now-voided primary.
Speaking to supporters shortly after midnight, with the city's vote tally showing him with a 175-vote lead, Ganim called on his strongest challenger, John Gomes, to withdraw from a court fight that has the election probably headed to a do-over.
The residents of Bridgeport cast their ballots for mayor Tuesday, knowing there’s a chance the results won’t actually settle the city’s election that was thrown into uncertainty by allegations of voting irregularities.
"You’ve been rejected twice by the voters. Respect the voters of the City of Bridgeport!” Ganim said, in remarks directed at Gomes, a fellow Democrat. “Withdraw these claims. They have now lost their legitimacy.”
FOX61 nor the Associated Press will not declare a winner in the general election until all legal issues and challenges related to the primary are fully resolved.
A judge last week tossed the results of the Democratic mayoral primary and ordered a new one, citing “mishandled” absentee ballots that left the court unable to determine who won. The general election was not canceled.
This set up the most bizarre mayoral content held in Connecticut on Tuesday. Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said her office is in talks with the Attorney General’s Office to determine if Tuesday’s votes will actually count and what happens when they are tabulated.
Both Democrats who competed in the primary – incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim and challenger John Gomes – were on the ballot again for the general election.
Ganim won the primary election by 251 votes, thanks to the help of absentee ballots. This prompted Gomes to challenge the results, cutting accusations of fraud.
By 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Gaim stood at 5,723 votes with Gomes at 5,548.
"We are looking statistically at the number based on the margin of victory we have which is 564," Ganim said Tuesday as the votes were being tallied. "We are looking at the absentee ballots that have been returned so we are waiting to see how many have been rejected and how many fall within the different parties that ran. So it is DeJaVu. We’re just hoping for a different outcome today."
The Republican on the ballot, David Herz, received as of 9:17 p.m. 333 votes. He told FOX61 News on Monday that Bridgeport needs a new course.
“I don’t think Gomes and Ganim are cut from a different cloth,” he said. “I think they are very similar shades of blue and it’s not going to make a difference which one is there and they know it, which is why they are spending time on who is stealing ballots instead of on issues.”
Lamond Daniels, who petitioned his way onto the ballot, received 714 votes as of 9:17 p.m.
If Gomes defeats Ganim and two other candidates, he will withdraw his legal challenge of the primary and “that will be the end of it," his lawyer, Bloss, said. "There will be no new primary. There's no new general election.”
Elsewhere, two city councilwomen were arrested at a polling place in the city.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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