Bridgeport voters try again to pick mayor after 1st election tossed due to absentee ballot scandal

The voters of Bridgeport, Connecticut, are going to the polls to choose their mayor — some for the fourth time — after the result of the last election was thrown out because of allegations of absentee ballot box stuffing during a Democratic primary.

Tuesday’s election could finally decide whether incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim wins another term or his former aide, John Gomes, takes the reins of Connecticut’s largest city.

Both Democrats have been trying to rally voters, many fatigued and frustrated, to once again cast ballots in a protracted race that’s been overshadowed by accusations of voting irregularities.

They have also sniped at one another. Ganim accused Gomes of running for mayor out of revenge for being fired as the city’s acting chief administrative officer, saying putting him in charge would be a “mistake.”

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Fatigue and frustration as final do-over mayoral election looms in Connecticut’s largest city </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Mayoral candidate says he won’t quit Connecticut race marred by ballot issues, despite primary loss </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Bridgeport mayor wins do-over Democratic primary in race marred by ballot irregularities </bsp-custom-headline> </bsp-list-loadmore>

Gomes, in turn, has brought up Ganim’s criminal record. After an initial 12-year run as mayor, Ganim was convicted of corruption. He spent seven years in prison, then