The Red Line

We learned in April that average Connecticut state employee wages had topped $100,000. Now, three months later, average wages have surpassed $110,000. It is all part of Ned Lamont’s plan to assure his reelection.

In April, the U.S. Census Bureau published a 50-state study of salary and wages in state government as of March 2025. Connecticut ranked second-highest with an average wage of $101,500.

Later in April, Democrats in the General Assembly approved the new state employee wage contract (SEBAC 2026) that Lamont “negotiated” with union bosses. The contract provided for a pay raise of 4.5% for fiscal year 2026 to be paid retroactively and another 4.5% pay raise for FY 2027 to take effect on July first. 

The two pay raises have now taken effect, taking average annual pay to about $111,000.

Averages can be meaningless. So, The Townsend Group, which I head, has undertaken two studies of the Census data.

Governor Ned Lamont may not make it to the general election in his bid for a third term. His Democrat primary opponent, progressive Josh Elliot, just released a very compelling political advertisement, suggesting an aggressive campaign against Lamont, a self-described “moderate.”

Progressives across the nation are having their moment. Democrat socialists like Elliot have upset even liberal Democrat incumbents in multiple recent primaries, most notably in neighboring New York City. Progressives are energized. They will turn out big in the state’s August primary.

The Democrat power structure, aka public sector unions, may be having heartburn after just endorsing Lamont over Elliot at the recent AFLCIO convention. The union bosses may have to call members back from August vacations to rescue Lamont.

An Elliot surge and a manifestly weakened Lamont is a huge opportunity for GOP candidate, Ryan Fazio.

Fazio has been planning to run on the general issue of affordability. He needs a sharper angle.

Actually, there is a potent new affordability issue for Fazio, about which he has already spoken quite eloquently: state employee over-compensation. State workers are the highest paid in the 50 states: the second-highest wages and the best benefits by far.

A month ago, U.S. Census released data showing that Connecticut paid its state employees an average of $101,500 in 2025, the second highest wages in the 50 states.

The news of wages moving from five figures to six figures, cresting $100,000 for the first time, grabbed widespread attention.

Stunning as the news was, the average is anonymous numbers. Who is making one hundred grand? Who is getting a 60% pay hike? Who is making the second highest wages in the 50 states?

Fortunately, Census provides some broad answers. Census breaks down the headcount and payroll figures for the 50 states into 36 functional categories.

The outcome was never in doubt. Democrats were always going to vote to approve excessive, unfair and unsustainable wage increases for Connecticut state employees, and they did. What the left-leaning media in the state expected to happen, did not. GOP opposition to the raises did not collapse.

All but one GOP senator voted against the $2 billion of raises contained in the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) contracts. All but a handful of GOP House members voted “no.”

Wednesday’s proceedings were a text-book illustration of how power corrupts..