Midterm Elections!
By: Viktor Orzolek
Connecticut’s Midterm Elections: Look Beyond the Attacks
Nov. 3rd is creeping slowly but surely, marking the midterm elections. Midterm elections are important because, even though they take place halfway through a presidential term, many seats in the Senate and House of Representatives are up for election. In Connecticut, it is also time to elect a governor for the next term.
The two candidates for governor are Republican Ryan Fazio, who has served as a state senator since 2021, and Democratic incumbent Ned Lamont, who is running for a third term after nearly eight years as governor.
Information about the election and candidates can be found on Connecticut’s official state website: Elections and Voting.
Notice the two sides attacking each other?
This is nothing new in American politics. Candidates often criticize their opponents, but voters should consider whether those criticisms tell the whole story. Looking beyond campaign rhetoric can help voters better understand the issues and the candidates’ actual positions.
Ryan Fazio has criticized Lamont for supporting legislation that allows qualifying data centers to receive long-term tax incentives. The law, passed in 2021, allows eligible companies to receive certain tax exemptions. So far, Cigna Corp. has been the only company to use the program, receiving a sales tax exemption for renovations to its existing data center in Windsor. Cigna still pays local property taxes on the facility.
Although Lamont originally supported the incentives to encourage data center development, he has since expressed concerns about large-scale AI data centers and their potential effects on Connecticut’s electricity grid. Fazio has called for repealing the tax incentive program, arguing that it could benefit large corporations at taxpayers’ expense.
Fazio’s criticism raises questions about Lamont’s position on data center tax incentives, but voters should look at the details of the legislation and the candidates’ actual positions before drawing conclusions.
What should you do?
If you intend to vote, look at what both sides are saying, then look deeper into what makes sense. Just because one side is making a really compelling argument against the other side doesn’t mean it’s logical.
Article about the legislation: New England News Collaborative.