New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart announced Tuesday she will not seek reelection, as she again weighs potentially running for governor. Stewart made the video announcement on her Facebook page. “I will not be seeking reelection to a seventh term as mayor of the city of New Britain,” Stewart said. Stewart first ran for office in 2013 at the age of 26, becoming the youngest mayor in the city’s history. She ended up winning reelection six times and is considered a popular mayor. But she’s also widely considered a possible contender for the governorship due to her mayoral record and her moderate political positions. She said in a follow-up press conference Tuesday that she doesn’t have a lot of time to decide, citing her previous 2018 bid where she faced difficulty with fundraising. “I know that I’ve got a finite period of time to make that decision,” Stewart said. She said it’s time for others to lead the city of New Britain. “It’s time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life,” she said. Stewart did not confirm she would run for governor, having already turned down previous chances to campaign in 2022 and after her failed 2018 bid. But she’s now freed from preparing for a mayoral reelection campaign and she has already confirmed she did not want to run for Congress. This story was first published Sept. 24, 2024 by Connecticut Public.