Thomas Breen Photo
Elicker, with daughter Molly, thanks supporters at Trinity.
New Haven Democrats delivered a resounding change message Tuesday as challenger Justin Elicker soundly defeated incumbent Toni Harp in a Democratic mayoral primary.
Elicker defeated Harp — who had beaten him six years ago to become mayor — with a total of 7,198 votes (58.29 percent) to the incumbent mayor’s 5,150 (41.71 percent).
The former East Rock/Cedar Hill alder and 2013 mayoral candidate beat Harp both at the machines in the city’s 30 wards on Tuesday and in the absentee ballots.
It was Toni Harp’s first electoral loss in a 32-year career as a popular alderwoman, then state senator, then three-term mayor. Her third term has been marked by complaints over a tax hike, lead paint enforcement failures, and chaos at the school board, issues voters of all backgrounds raised Tuesday at the polls.
The big question now is whether Harp will continue the campaign into the general election, when her name would appear on the Working Families Party line — but in which over 16,373 unaffiliated voters and 2,459 registered Republicans are eligible to cast ballots. Elicker outperformed Harp among those voters in the 2013 general election; plus, Harp benefited among Democratic voters in that general election from having won the primary, which she didn’t do this time around.
Following is the final official ward-by-ward breakdown from the machine vote as well as absentee ballots, released Wednesday by Head Moderator Kevin Arnold:
Voter turnout was strong Tuesday in pro-Elicker wards, especially Westville’s Ward 25 (where Harp lives), while a concerted effort by Harp to appeal to black and brown voters fizzled. (Click here, here, here, here, and here to read some stories about what voters were saying at the polls and in the neighborhoods Tuesday.)
Elicker gained ground in wards that Harp easily captured six years ago when the two candidates last faced off in a mayoral election.
Ward 27 (covering portions of Beaver Hills, West Hills, Amity, and Westville) was basically a tie, for instance; Harp won it 2 – 1 last time. Ward 26 in Upper Westville, where Harp used to live, went from a pro-Harp to a decidedly pro-Elicker district this time around. Ward 6, covering City Point and part of the Hill, flipped from Harp to Elicker as well. So did Ward 21, which covers portions of Newhallville, Dixwell, and Prospect Hill.
Overall on the machines, Elicker won in 15 wards, Harp won in 14 wards, and they tied in one, Ward 12’s Quinnipiac Meadows (pending the counting of absentee ballots). Handicappers originally expected Harp to win more wards but Elicker to win the districts with the biggest turnouts. He exceeded expectations.
Elicker racked up big margins in the city’s predominantly white neighborhoods, cushioning his lead by hundreds of extra votes. He was ahead by 510 votes in Ward 25, 466 votes in East Shore’s Ward 18, 353 votes in East Rock’s Ward 10, 236 votes in Downtown’s Ward 7 and 215 votes in East Rock/Goatville’s Ward 9. Elicker also came out ahead by 289 votes in Prospect Hill’s Ward 19
Harp’s biggest lead, meanwhile, came from Newhallville’s Ward 20. That ward netted only 174 votes, a dramatic decline from the 516-vote lead she picked up there in the 2013 mayoral primary. Other previous Harp strongholds, like Dixwell’s Ward 22, didn’t show up for her this time around, landing in a virtual tie.
Elicker also ran a more 21st century campaign, with heavy reliance on social media and email as well as a regularly updated campaign website. Harp relied on a wave of incumbent mayoral press conferences and a ground game focused almost exclusively in closing weeks on New Haven’s black and brown communities.
About an hour after polls closed, Harp called Elicker to concede the primary.
Elicker addressed his supporters at Trinity Bar on Orange Street shortly before 9 o’clock. He said it’s the same location where his 2013 campaign ended.
The crowd at Trinity.
“Six years ago, we came pretty close,” he said. “We didn’t see that as a failure. We saw it as a lot more work that needs to be done, and our coalition grew. This time around a lot more people have joined our coalition.”
Campaign Manager Gage Frank at the victory celebration. Behind him: Upper Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen, Board of Ed member Ed Joyner and activist Patricia Kane
Elicker spent most of his speech thanking his supporters, shouting out his campaign staff, the thousand-plus small donors who contributed to his campaign and his high-profile backers, like Luiz Casanova, the former assistant police chief; Ed Joyner, an elected school board member; and Nichole Jefferson, the city’s former equal opportunity commission chief.
Elicker said the campaign had been tough, joking at one point that he didn’t want to “drone on,” a reference to Harp’s television ad that claimed he supports drone surveillance of people’s homes in “our” neighborhoods. He stressed that he wants to work with those who’d backed his opponent.
“Tonight, when you look at the results around the city, we have a clear mandate for New Haven to be a government that is ethical, that is responsive and that puts this city in a direction where every single resident can thrive,” he added.
“Now is the time for everyone in this room to reach out to the other campaign, because at the end of the day, the most important thing has nothing to do with the individuals in this room, but with the individuals that we met knocking on doors … in every single neighborhood around this city. The only way we can do that is by joining together,” he went on. “I am so excited to work with UNITE HERE, with the Board of Alders, with our delegation and with every single person in this city to continue moving forward.
“Thank you everyone so much for being here tonight,” he concluded. “Let’s have a great night and now the work begins.”
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Mayor Harp with spokesperson Laurence Grotheer at 50 Fitch.
Harp, meanwhile, briefly addressed her supporters at the 50 Fitch tavern.
“I want to thank each and every one of you who worked with my campaign over these months, who’ve really worn out your shoes, knocked on doors and made telephone calls,” Harp said. “Thank you so much for believing in my administration and what we have stood for.
“I want to say to you that this campaign and all of you stood for something really new in New Haven.We brought people together from clear across our city, people from different cultures and different races, with a vision that we would be the city, and we will be still, where everyone — no matter whether where you come from, no matter how rich or poor — everyone has an opportunity and a chance to make something of themselves.”
The question now is whether Harp will choose to compete in the general election. Her name is on that ballot for the Working Families Party. Asked, after the speech if she plans to run again in the general election, she said, “I will let you know.”
Paul Bass Photo
High School in the Community teacher Rosalyn Diaz-Ortiz and students Johanyx Rodriguez and Gian Rodriguez joined dozens of volunteers in helping the Independent collect and report election results.
By comparison …
2013 Mayoral General Election Results
2013 Democratic Mayoral Primary Results
I respect and like Mayor Harp, who I worked with when she was in the state Senate. She is intelligent, thoughtful, and incredibly hard working. In 2013, I voted for her rather than my friend Justin Elicker because I thought she was the better qualified candidate. But although she has every right to run again in November, I think the city would be better off if she chose not to..