In Bridgeport, the mayoral election isn’t over until it’s over

Mayor Joe Ganim of Bridgeport, Conn., was the top vote-getter in his bid for re-election on Tuesday, defeating his closest opponent by 175 votes. Normally that would guarantee him another term.

But the situation is much more complicated than that.

Last week, a judge threw out the results of the Democratic primary, which Mr. Ganim won, based on credible allegations of absentee ballot fraud. Excerpts from surveillance video showed Mr. Ganim’s supporters making numerous trips to absentee ballot boxes to fill them with paper.

The judge ordered a new primary, although he had no authority to postpone the general election in the meantime. As a result, the validity of Tuesday’s vote remains in doubt.

Bridgeport, a city of about 150,000 in the southwestern part of Connecticut, may hold another primary and then perhaps another general election. If Mr Ganim wins a second primary, there would likely not be a second general election, his main opponent’s lawyer said. But Mr. Ganim or the city of Bridgeport can still appeal the judge’s order for a new primary election. On Wednesday, the mayor said his lawyers were still reviewing the ruling.

For the nearly 14,000 Bridgeport residents who voted in the general election, the situation is frustrating.

“I voted last time, and I actually feel like my vote didn’t count,” said Reginald Cathey, 81, a retired teacher.

Mr. Cathey used to be an “ardent supporter of Joe Ganim.” But he voted for Ganim’s main opponent, John Gomes, who ran as an independent candidate citing what he sees as widespread corruption. “It’s very confusing and embarrassing,” he said.

Mr. Ganim served as mayor for 12 years, spent seven years in prison on federal corruption-related charges, then regained the mayor’s post in 2015. In a speech on Tuesday evening, the mayor noted that Mr. Gomes had lost the Democratic primary as well as the general election and urged him to withdraw the legal complaint that led the judge to invalidate the primary in the first place.

“The Gomes people and their crew have now been beaten twice,” Mr Ganim said. “You have been rejected by the voters twice. Respect the voters of the City of Bridgeport. Withdraw these claims. They have now lost their legitimacy.”

Mr Gomes showed no sign of backing down on Wednesday.

“Our democracy was suppressed,” Mr. Gomes said in an interview. “It was not respected. Democracy in Bridgeport is only for a select group, and that needs to change.”

Although voter fraud is rare in the United States, some voters in Bridgeport say this type of scandal is old news in the city.

In June, the State Election Enforcement Commission said there was evidence possible crime during the 2019 mayoral elections. Last year a judge ordered a new Democratic primary in a state representative race over allegations of absentee ballot fraud. In 2017 a judge ordered a Democratic primary for a rerun of City Council seats after one absentee ballot, improperly handled, decided the race.

Two council members were arrested on Tuesday two separate incidents at a polling station. One was charged with breach of the peace, the other with third-degree assault.

The controversies are weighing on voters, many of whom are beginning to lose confidence in their city’s elections.

“It just shows that there is corruption everywhere,” said Vanessa Mattison, a 43-year-old nurse.

She said she wondered if her primary vote had counted. “I’d like to think it makes a difference,” she said, “but I don’t know.”

Some voters said they fully approved of Mr. Ganim: “He has done a lot for the city,” said Nicole Smickle, 37, a home health aide. She voted for him despite her sadness about the videos.

Others said they would hold their noses to vote for him. “I’m going through the ballot motions because I’ve always voted Democrat, so I’ll always vote Democrat,” said Suzanie Cruz, a nurse.

She said she voted for Mr. Ganim even though she did not like his policies. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to vote for the current mayor,” she said, adding, “but he’s a Democrat.”

Mr. Cathey, the retired teacher, is concerned about the ways in which Bridgeport is providing fodder to former President Donald J. Trump, who reported on the case about Truth Social: “This is only a ‘small’ part of what is happening in our country in the field of voting. It’s all a huge scam!”

“This is consistent with his words,” said Mr. Cathey, who is not a Trump supporter. “He said, ‘The Democrats have a lot of fraud.’ And our only way to say, ‘There was no fraud – you were defeated,’ was to hold fair elections.”

But at least in Bridgeport, the videos tell a different story. And that worries Mr. Cathey, who said many people are having trouble getting to the polls for health reasons and are having to vote absentee.

“It’s embarrassing,” Mr. Cathey said, shaking his head. “And the people who are suffering are the actual people who should receive the mail.”