Two politicians from western Connecticut went head to head Thursday in their first Democratic gubernatorial debate.

Greenwich telecommunications magnate Ned Lamont squared off against Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven.

Lamont lost the Democratic nod to Dannel Malloy in 2010 but clinched the party's nomination at this year's convention.

Ganim has tried to portray Lamont as a candidate who is out of touch with the middle class. He even pointed out that Lamont has eight bathrooms in his Greenwich estate.

One of the hot topics of the night was education. Lamont went after Ganim, saying that he had a 29 percent tax increase and that he has flat-footed education every year. Ganim disagreed, telling Lamont he will send him a copy of the budget.

There are still two more Democratic debates planned before the primary next month.