Republican Erin Stewart drops bid for governor amid spending investigation
Just days ago, Stewart called questions about her personal spending a "witch hunt." But on Thursday, she pledged to “take accountability for any mistakes."
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Peppa Pig may have decided the Republican nomination for governor.
The popular children’s cartoon is at the center of a growing spending investigation that forced Erin Stewart, once the GOP front-runner, to drop out of the race on Thursday.
STUNNING DOWNFALL
It’s a stunning – and rapid – downfall for the political veteran.
On Tuesday, Stewart was defiant at a campaign rally, even as questions mounted over how she spent taxpayer dollars as mayor of New Britain.
“They want headlines before facts,” she told supporters. “They want political damage. They want personal vengeance. That is not how I lead.”
But two days later, Stewart abruptly suspended her campaign after Connecticut State Police opened a criminal investigation amid a damning outside investigation ordered by her predecessor.
“All publicly available documents are within the scope of the State Police investigation,” said Trooper Pedro Muñiz in a statement.
DAMAGING NEW REPORT
Those documents could be voluminous – and damaging.
Police opened an investigation after the Crumbie Law Group released a new 74-page report detailing $207,076 of questionable spending on Stewart’s city-issued credit card.
“Ms. Stewart used her P-Card to purchase household items; groceries; makeup and other women’s toiletries; women’s clothing and undergarments; alcohol; jewelry; and gifts for herself, her children, and her husband, as well as to pay her membership dues and dining expenses at the Hartford Club, which is a private member’s-only social club in Hartford,” the report states.
And that’s where Peppa comes in.
The report includes receipts and photos of items Stewart allegedly paid for with her purchasing card, including decorations for her daughter’s Peppa Pig-themed birthday party.
Crumbie’s investigation detailed Amazon charges totaling $47,582; $19,222 at Costco; and $7,476 on Instacart. Another $113,533 was spent on “other vendors.”
The report said that all the items were delivered to Stewart’s home – but most were listed as “office supplies” in city finance records.
“The findings of this investigation point not to isolated lapses in judgment, but to a pattern of behavior that violated public trust,” the report states. “The entitlement demonstrated by Ms. Stewart reflected by the evidence in this investigation is incomprehensible for a public official.”
The report also claimed Stewart used her city credit card for campaign expenses in 2017 and 2025.
“I WILL TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY”
Stewart previously painted the spending allegations as a “witch hunt.” But on Thursday, she pledged to “take accountability for any mistakes” while in office.
“I take the allegations that have been made against me very seriously. And for that reason, I am suspending my gubernatorial campaign effective immediately so that I can focus on addressing those claims,” Stewart said in a statement. “I will take accountability for any mistakes, and I intend to make full and complete restitution to the City of New Britain – my home – for anything that I owe.”
Stewart's statement ended like this.
"I cannot change the past, but I can make the next right decision — and this is it."
POLITICAL FALLOUT
Republican Party leaders urged Stewart to suspend her campaign before the GOP state convention starts on Friday.
“She and I spoke along with some other party leaders with her, and I think she made the absolute right decision,” said Connecticut party chair Ben Proto, who has known Stewart since her childhood. “She heard from a number of people within the party and the party hierarchy.”
Ryan Fazio, a state senator from Greenwich, is now expected to win the party endorsement.
“Erin Stewart ran a hard-fought campaign that engaged many great Republicans across Connecticut and brought more people into the process. We respect the decision she announced today,” Fazio said in a statement. “It’s time to unite our party and build a coalition to create a positive change for our great state.”
One of Fazio’s early supporters, Connecticut House Republican leader Vin Candelora (R-North Branford), pushed for Stewart to exit the race.
“My recommendation was that she seek legal advice and stop talking,” he said. “From a political standpoint, it’s a sigh of relief, I think, for many of us that are going to be on the ballot in November.”
Also seeking the Republican nod is former New York lieutenant governor and Newsmax host Betsy McCaughey, who now lives in Greenwich.
“This is very good news for the people of Connecticut because the focus of the upcoming election needs to be on achieving a real Connecticut comeback,” McCaughey told NBC Connecticut. “The issue is not Erin Stewart’s spending while she was mayor.”
But Democrats are likely make the spending scandal an issue in their bid to re-elect Gov. Ned Lamont.
For his part, the governor chose his words carefully.
“There were some serious allegations. Got to get to the bottom of that. I respect her decision; I know how tough it was,” Lamont told reporters. “Glad there’s an outside investigation. I’m glad they would get to the bottom of this. I think the people of New Britain and Connecticut want to make sure that tax dollars are being appropriately spent.”
Stewart’s running-mate, state Rep. Tim Ackert (R-Coventry), said he will remain in the race for lieutenant governor. Ackert, who appeared next to Stewart at Tuesday's rally, distanced himself on Thursday.
“I condemn any misuse of taxpayer dollars or public resources, and Connecticut residents deserve leaders who treat public service with honesty and integrity,” Ackert said.
LEGAL TROUBLE
In addition to the Connecticut State Police probe, New Britain’s current mayor said the city is exploring legal action against Stewart.
“The findings outlined in this investigation are outrageous,” Democratic Mayor Bobby Sanchez said on Thursday. “The City will be pursuing all appropriate legal avenues to recover taxpayer funds wherever possible, including seeking restitution from the former mayor for any improper or unauthorized expenditures identified through this investigation.”
