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Lamont, a Democrat, made his announcements in emails to supporters and video (above). This is his second run for the governorship.
“I am proud to call Connecticut my home, to start my business here and raise my family here,” said Lamont. “We have many great assets and people want to live here, but we are falling behind. We need to fix our state budget and improve our economy so more people and businesses can continue to stay in Connecticut and find opportunities to advance here. Like many parents, I want my three children to stay here, to work and to raise a family in a thriving Connecticut.”
Lamont, 64, is the founder of Lamont Digital Systems, which provides cable services to college campuses.
“Business people are measured by their results and Connecticut needs results right now; we need to change the way we do business. More good-paying jobs, more companies moving into Connecticut that attract talent, more leaders willing to come together to find common ground, fix our budget, and get our state moving again. We have serious issues to address and our leaders will need to tell the truth about how we are going to solve our biggest problems.”
Lamont said his agenda includes addressing the crisis in our state budget and finances; growing the economy; attracting and retaining a talented workforce that include raising the minimum wage; advancing pay equity; establishing paid family leave, and building out the transportation infrastructure and jobs by implementing tolling.
As a parent, a volunteer teacher at Harding High School in Bridgeport, a lecturer at Yale University, and currently a professor at Central Connecticut State University, Lamont said he recognizes the critical need for talented educators and good schools. He said that's why his agenda includes investing in the next generation of Connecticut workers through loan forgiveness for teachers in high-need school systems and supporting tuition-free community college for residents committed to working and staying in Connecticut.
In his video announcement, Lamont takes a swipe at President Donald Trump.
"We're going the wrong direction with what's going on in Washington, D.C., right now," he says in the video. "We're gonna start going in the right direction in Connecticut."
In 2006, Lamont gained prominence in the Democratic primary when he beat then-U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, who had been the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate just four years earlier. Lieberman went on to win re-election in the fall as an independent candidate.
In 2010, Lamont sought the Democratic nomination for governor, losing to then-Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, who won that year and was re-elected in 2014.
Malloy is not seeking re-election this year.
Other Democratic candidates include Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, who served seven years in federal prison on corruption charges, and Sean Connolly, the former state veterans affairs commissioner.
Lamont and his wife, Annie, a business leader focusing on the healthcare and financial service fields, live in Greenwich. They have two daughters and a son.
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