HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont won a third term Tuesday, defeating Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio, according to The Associated Press, which declared Lamont the winner at 9:17 p.m.

The AP called the race with less than 7% of the vote counted, CT News Junkie reported.

Lamont, a Democrat, becomes the first Connecticut governor to win three consecutive elections since John G. Rowland in 2002, WTNH reported. Rowland resigned in 2004 before finishing his third term.

"Thank you Connecticut - I am so humbled by your trust," Lamont wrote on X, according to Patch.

Lamont, 72, a former cable entrepreneur, has led the state since 2019. He centered his campaign on affordability, taxes, energy costs and the state's future, while Fazio called for changes to state tax and energy policies, Patch reported.

Fazio, 36, of Greenwich, was first elected to the state Senate in 2021 and represents a district in the state's Gold Coast. He ran with Matt Corey, a veteran and Manchester business owner, according to Patch.

Speaking to about 100 supporters in Stamford, Fazio said he would keep working to shape policy in Connecticut and acknowledged that the national political climate had made the race especially tough for Republicans, CT News Junkie reported.

Lamont won the Democratic nomination in August over state Rep. Josh Elliott of Hamden, a progressive challenger, according to NBC Connecticut. He defeated Republican Bob Stefanowski in 2018 and 2022.