Taxes, ICE, Flock Cameras: 5 Takeaways From CT Governor Debate

With just one week until Election Day, Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican challenger Ryan Fazio faced off Tuesday night in their final gubernatorial debate at Mohegan Sun, discussing taxes, energy costs, Flock cameras and other issues important to voters.

Lamont, 72, has served as Connecticut's governor since 2019. The Democrat is seeking a third term alongside Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. A former telecommunications businessman, Lamont has emphasized his administration's record on tax relief, education funding and improving the state's finances while pledging to address rising housing, energy and health care costs.

Fazio, a Republican state senator from Greenwich who was first elected in 2021, is challenging Lamont alongside running mate Matt Corey. A former investment industry professional, Fazio has centered his campaign on affordability, proposing income and property tax cuts, lower electricity bills and reduced government spending while criticizing the cost of living under Lamont's administration.

Here are five key takeaways from the debate ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Electric Bills And Energy Costs

Connecticut's high electricity costs sparked an early disagreement, with Fazio promising to eliminate public benefits charges and other fees from electric bills.

"Every single person, every single day who comes up to me to talk about electric bills tells me my electric bills are too damn high in this state," Fazio said.

Fazio said his proposal would reduce electric bills by 20 percent over time, while Lamont defended his administration's energy policies, including efforts to preserve the Millstone nuclear power plant.

Lamont argued that maintaining nuclear power has helped Connecticut avoid additional electricity costs and said his administration was working to make energy more affordable.

Candidates Clash Over Income And Property Taxes

The candidates also sparred over Connecticut's tax burden, with Fazio accusing Lamont of failing to deliver on earlier promises to reduce property taxes.

Fazio outlined his proposal to cut income taxes and cap annual property tax increases at 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is greater. He said the state could help fund tax relief by reducing spending and eliminating what he described as unnecessary government programs.

Lamont defended the income tax cuts enacted during his administration and said increased education funding and municipal aid were intended to help local officials limit property tax increases.

Lamont referenced past Republican proposals to eliminate the state income tax.

"These are promises that are never kept," Lamont said. "We're the ones that have stepped forward, kept our promise and cut the income tax."

Flock Cameras Raise Privacy And Public Safety Questions

The candidates found some common ground on concerns surrounding Flock automated license plate readers, although they differed on how the technology should be regulated.

Fazio criticized the proliferation of surveillance cameras across Connecticut, arguing that widespread monitoring is "excessive" and threatens residents' privacy and civil liberties.

"Cameras everywhere is not acceptable," Fazio said.

Lamont defended legislation establishing privacy safeguards for automated license plate readers, including restrictions on sharing information with federal immigration authorities and requirements to delete collected data after a limited period.

Asked whether he supported a permanent ban on Flock cameras, Lamont said he would leave that decision to municipalities, while emphasizing the need for privacy protections.

"No, I'm saying I leave that up to towns, but I have certain guardrails, one of which is, you have to destroy that information to protect people's privacy," Lamont said.

Candidates Clash Over Immigration Enforcement

Immigration enforcement was another point of disagreement, with Lamont defending Connecticut's Trust Act and Fazio calling for changes to the state's cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Lamont said Connecticut works with federal agencies, including ICE, the DEA and FBI, to identify and apprehend dangerous criminals, but criticized recent immigration enforcement actions in communities including Danbury.

"What I do object to is ICE going out there and seemingly arresting people guilty until proven innocent, if you even look Hispanic," Lamont said.

Fazio argued that changes made to the Trust Act in 2019 went too far in restricting cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, including in cases involving certain felony convictions.

Both candidates opposed ICE entering schools, churches and hospitals to apprehend undocumented immigrants.

Asked directly whether he supported such enforcement actions, Fazio responded, "No, absolutely not."

Lamont also pointed to state legislation passed during his administration that is intended to protect sensitive locations, including places of worship and courthouses, from immigration enforcement.

Education Funding And Student Achievement Divide Candidates

Lamont and Fazio clashed over Connecticut's public schools, with the Republican challenger criticizing declining student achievement and the governor defending improvements made during his administration.

"We've seen test scores in math and reading under Governor Lamont fall," Fazio said, arguing that students in lower-income districts need more educational opportunities.

Lamont pushed back, defending Connecticut's public schools and pointing to recent academic improvements.

"Stop knocking our schools," Lamont said. "We're making improvements every day in terms of achievement scores."

Both candidates' arguments reflect different periods of Connecticut's academic performance. State education data released in August showed that reading and math scores improved in 2026 compared with the previous year, although both remained below their pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

The candidates also disagreed over charter school expansion. Fazio criticized the administration for not allowing certain charter schools to serve more students, while Lamont said the approval process involves both the State Department of Education and the legislature.

Rising special education costs were another focus. Lamont said the state has nearly doubled its funding and proposed coordinating services and exploring an insurance pool to help towns manage expenses. Fazio argued that unfunded state mandates are driving up municipal costs and opposed forced consolidation of school districts.