Democrat Vitale wins special election for Fairfield first selectman

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (WTNH) — In a closely-watched special election to be first selectman of Fairfield, Christine Vitale, a Democrat, defeated Tony Hwang, a Republican who represents the town and three surrounding communities in the State Senate.

Preliminary results showed Vitale winning by a 12-point margin, 56%-44%. Turnout was unusually high for a special election in the dead of winter. More than 40% of the town’s registered voters cast a ballot.

For Vitale, victory in Tuesday’s special election means continuing in the job she has served in since last August after the sudden death of Bill Gerber, a fellow Democrat who was elected as the town’s chief executive in 2023. Vitale was appointed to the role and will now serve out the remainder of the 4-year term to which Gerber was originally elected.

The special election was triggered via a petition process spearheaded by Hwang. A moderate Republican and a relentless practitioner of retail politics, Hwang has weathered blistering Democratic challenges to his State Senate seat in four successive election cycles — emerging victorious each time even as Democrats systematically flipped a number of other legislative seats around lower Fairfield County.




https://www.wtnh.com/news/elections/democrat-vitale-wins-special-election-for-fairfield-first-selectman/