SHU Poll: Connecticut Voters Put Cost of Living at Center of Governor’s Race
While most residents say they enjoy living in Connecticut, rising housing, energy, and everyday costs are reshaping their priorities ahead of the 2026 election
Key Highlights
- New Sacred Heart University poll finds affordability is the defining issue in Connecticut's 2026 gubernatorial race, with voters overwhelmingly focused on the rising cost of housing, energy, and everyday living expenses
- Cost of living and inflation rank as the top issue for governor, selected by 29.4% of registered voters—more than twice as many as taxes, energy costs, or jobs and the economy
- Connecticut voters remain positive about life in the state despite financial pressures. More than 71% rate their quality of life as good or very good, but 59% say they are struggling to maintain their current standard of living
Connecticut voters are entering the 2026 gubernatorial election with one issue clearly rising above the rest: affordability. While most residents say they enjoy a good quality of life in Connecticut, many are struggling with rising housing, energy, and everyday costs, making affordability the defining issue in the race for governor.
A new Sacred Heart University/WFSB/CT Insider Poll, in partnership with GreatBlue Research, finds that concerns about the rising cost of living are shaping nearly every aspect of how registered voters view the upcoming election. Whether discussing the economy, housing, energy costs, personal finances, or the qualities they want in the state's next governor, voters consistently pointed to affordability as their top concern.
The survey also reveals a more nuanced picture of Connecticut. Despite mounting financial pressures, residents remain largely positive about life in the state.
- More than seven in 10 registered voters (71.1%) rate their overall quality of life in CT as good or very good
- Nearly six in 10 (59.0%) say they are having difficulty maintaining their current standard of living
- 38.0% report their household finances are worse than they were a year ago, and 41.9% believe Connecticut's economy has declined over the past year
- Nearly one in four voters (23.7%) say they are at least somewhat unlikely to remain in Connecticut over the next five years, with the high cost of living cited as the leading reason
“The key issues mirror those that are on the minds of voters everywhere,” said Gary Rose, SHU professor of political science & global affairs and scholar in residence. “Those include the cost and availability of housing, property taxes, cost of living expenses, and energy costs. The bread-and-butter issues are the drivers of this, not philosophical theories of government.”
Nearly three in 10 registered voters (29.4%) identified cost of living and inflation as the single most important issue in deciding their vote for governor—more than twice as many as those who selected taxes (12.9%), electricity and energy costs (10.8%), or jobs and the economy (10.0%). More than three-quarters (76.7%) reported higher household energy costs over the past year, while 71.8% said their housing costs have increased.
Housing affordability emerged as one of the few truly bipartisan concerns in the survey. Democrats (70.1%) and Republicans (68.8%) were nearly equally likely to say housing costs would be among the most important issues influencing their vote for governor.
When asked what qualities matter most in a gubernatorial candidate, respondents were most likely to choose someone who can lower the cost of living for Connecticut families. Likewise, when asked how the next governor should respond to rising energy and housing costs, voters consistently favored reducing taxes, fees, and other household expenses over other policy approaches.
The poll also provides an early snapshot of the 2026 gubernatorial race.
In a hypothetical general election matchup, incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont leads Republican Ryan Fazio, 49.7% to 29.5%. Democratic challenger Josh Elliott also leads Fazio, 44.0% to 29.6%. Among Democratic primary voters, Lamont leads Elliott 57.3% to 21.8%, while Fazio has consolidated support among Republican voters, with 77.3% backing him as the party's nominee.
“The poll indicates that Governor Lamont is in a very strong position to win the August 11 Democratic primary, stronger than what some previous polls indicated,” Rose said. “The generational gap is still very much evident with Lamont polling well among older voters and Elliott drawing his support from younger and more progressive Democrats. Fazio is just starting to introduce himself to voters, so his low numbers should be viewed as slightly premature. He has been under the radar because all of the media coverage has been focused on the forthcoming Democratic primary, not the general election.”
While Lamont maintains a strong lead in both the Democratic primary and a hypothetical general election matchup, the poll suggests voters are not fully embracing the status quo. Nearly three-quarters of registered voters say Connecticut should make at least some changes to its current direction, despite Lamont posting a positive 50.6% job approval rating.
“Our first poll establishes a baseline for understanding Connecticut voters as the campaign begins to take shape,” said Seamus McNamee, vice president of research at GreatBlue Research. “Candidates and campaign dynamics will undoubtedly evolve over the coming months, but one message is already remarkably clear: voters want leaders who can make Connecticut more affordable.”
The Sacred Heart University/WFSB/CT Insider Poll is the first in a three-part gubernatorial polling series conducted by GreatBlue Research. Additional polls will be released following Connecticut's Democratic primary in September and again in October, tracking how voter priorities and the gubernatorial race evolve heading into Election Day.
The poll surveyed 1,000 registered Connecticut voters from July 21-26, 2026, using a digital survey methodology. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The sample was weighted by age, gender, education, and political affiliation to reflect Connecticut's registered voter population.
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