The Connecticut secretary of the state is reporting that state Sen. Alex Kasser was holding a slim lead over Republican challenger Ryan Fazio, according to Wednesday morning voter tabulations. But the result hinges on the ongoing absentee ballot count underway in Stamford.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the state website showed that Kasser, a Democrat, was ahead in the 36th Senate District race by 529 votes, by a margin of 26,626 to 26,097, in unofficial results. The district encompasses all of Greenwich and a portion of Stamford and New Canaan.
Fazio didn’t plan to concede until all the absentee ballots were counted in Stamford, Greenwich Republican Town Committee Chair Dan Quigley said Wednesday morning. But the party didn’t see a path to victory for Fazio, a member of the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting and a first time state Senate candidate.
“Greenwich and New Canaan voted for Ryan Fazio in strong fashion and voted Republican in strong fashion, but Stamford really cut us off at the knees in terms of getting the numbers we needed to get in,” Quigley said.
The count of absentee ballots in Stamford was said to be instrumental to settle the election, according to campaign managers. As of 11 a.m., the registrars in Stamford were still tallying the absentee ballots. The continued work was a point of contention for Quigley.
“Basically you’re waiting on Stamford,” he said. “Greenwich has done everything that it needs to do. From New Canaan we have what we need. Stamford is holding things up and it’s been like pulling a tooth out of a shark’s mouth.”
In 2018, Kasser won the seat in an upset by about 600 votes in a contest against incumbent Republican L. Scott Frantz.
Stamford registrars said the absentee count would continue through the day.
There was no official comment from either candidate Wednesday morning.
rmarchant@greenwichtime.com