Good morning and welcome back to the Tip Sheet, a weekly newsletter from Tom Dudchik’s Capitol Report written by Mike Cerulli.

This week, we’ve got a grab basket of newsy nuggets for you, starting with an interesting meeting Gov. Ned Lamont attended while visiting Puerto Rico.

Plus, Erin Stewart got some promising poll results and is preparing her first round of television ads.

Let’s dive in…

Lamont’s Puerto Rico trip yields friendly photo with a Trump ally

You may recall a recent edition of the Tip Sheet which featured a lengthy (too lengthy, according to some) probe of Gov. Ned Lamont’s purported Spotify Wrapped playlist. One of his top artists, supposedly, was Bad Bunny.

While the governor’s interest in Bad Bunny was most likely fabricated to score some social media clout, his affection for Puerto Rico, the reggaeton phenom’s home island, is very real. Lamont’s mother, the late Camille Lamont, was born in San Juan and married Edward Lamont Sr. there in 1951.

Gov. Lamont flew to Puerto Rico for a President's Day weekend trip. The trip was described by a spokesman as personal in nature, but the governor did take a meeting with Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s governor, who posted a series of friendly photos on social media. The two governors discussed economic partnerships between the island and the Nutmeg State – while also taking some time to admire González-Colón’s collection of political cartoons.

González-Colón is a Trump ally and differs with Lamont on a key issue affecting Puerto Rico’s economy: the 1920 federal maritime law known as the Jones Act.

The Jones Act requires shipping between two American ports to be conducted by vessels built in the United States, owned by Americans and crewed by American citizens or permanent residents. Critics, Lamont among them, believe that the law needlessly drives up the cost of shipping for resources like natural gas. Many Puerto Ricans, on the island and beyond, share this belief.

“Hey Congress, rethink the Jones Act,” Lamont said in his 2025 state of the state address.

That line drew scattered claps from both sides of the chamber. State Rep. Chris Rosario, a former chair of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus who championed the creation of a new Connecticut-Puerto Rico trade commission, enthusiastically applauded. State Sen. Ryan Fazio approved as well – a reflection of the unique coalition pushing for Jones Act reforms.

Lamont’s meeting with González-Colón is another example of his willingness to sit down with leaders that other Democrats might avoid. He frames himself as a pragmatic bridge builder. In the early months of the second Trump administration, Lamont met separately with Chris Wright, the energy secretary, and Doug Burgum, the interior secretary. 

In multiple subsequent interviews, Wright, a former natural gas executive, has spoken glowingly of his meeting with Lamont (calling him “fantastic” in one podcast appearance). Smiling photographs of Lamont and the two secretaries raised a few skeptical eyebrows. The appearance with Puerto Rico’s governor did the same.

Battle of the consultants: Latest Stewart poll triggers a familiar exchange

The latest round of polling conducted by the DC-based firm OnMessage on behalf of the Erin Stewart campaign showed the former New Britain mayor with a solid lead in the three-way race to be the Republican Party’s gubernatorial campaign.

A memo outlining the poll’s results was obtained by News 8 and published on Thursday. The poll found Stewart with 39% support among a sample of 300 likely GOP primary votes. Ryan Fazio came in second, capturing 16% support. Betsy McCaughey garnered 9%. More than a third of respondents were undecided.

The reporting of the poll touched off an exchange between the Fazio and Stewart campaigns that mirrored one that played out last August when another Stewart poll found a similar set of results.

You can read more about the most recent poll – including what was and was not included in that memo – here.

In both instances, Jim Conroy, a Fazio strategist, lambasted the Stewart poll as a “push poll.” After the most recent poll, Conroy was singing a similar tune. This time, that criticism was accompanied by a jab from John Healey, a Stewart strategist, who challenged the Fazio campaign to produce numbers of their own.

Let the advertising begin…

Armed with fresh polling numbers and hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state’s Citizens’ Election Program, the Stewart campaign has booked a tranche of television advertisements. Barring the revelation of additional advertising buys from other campaigns, this marks the first round of television ads of the 2026 gubernatorial election.

Stewart will air ads on the Fox broadcast network during the UConn men’s basketball game against Marquette on March 7th. Additional cable ad reservations have been booked on Fox News, as well as the channels that will air the NCAA tournament throughout March.

Fazio’s campaign has spent very modestly on social media advertising in the last couple months. He’s shelled out a few thousand dollars on Meta’s ad platform to boost several different social media posts across Facebook and Instagram.

Straight from the rumor mill…a Flexer primary?

Keep an eye on this one. The Tip Sheet has heard from multiple knowledgeable sources in recent months that there is a growing appetite among certain Democrats for a primary challenge to State Sen. Mae Flexer.

Whether or not private complaints about Flexer extend beyond the third floor offices of the Senate Democrats and into the sprawling district she represents is a question that can only be answered if a viable candidate steps up to challenge her. Calls are being made.

The 29th District remains a target of the Senate Republicans, who believe that they can overcome traditionally decisive Democratic votes in Storrs under the right circumstances. It’s one of the few opportunities for the GOP to seize a Senate seat as they work to defend a likely open seat in the Greenwich-based seat currently held by Fazio. The Fairfield-based 28th District currently represented by State Sen. Tony Hwang will also be a battleground, especially if Hwang declines to run again. More on this to come.

That’s all for this week. We’ll be back next week with another edition of the Tip Sheet!