State Sen. Ryan Fazio brought his property-tax message to two Black churches in Bloomfield on a recent Sunday, campaigning for governor in a community that leans heavily Democratic.

Fazio, a 36-year-old Republican from Greenwich, visited First Cathedral and Rehobeth Church of God, CT Public reported. Gov. Ned Lamont, the Democrat he hopes to unseat, had sat in the same pews two Sundays earlier. Both candidates are Greenwich residents.

"It feels like the property taxes are like a second mortgage, and the electric bills are like rent," Fazio told congregants.

Most Rehobeth worshipers have familial ties to Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. First Cathedral, Fazio's first stop, is a rare New England megachurch with 11,000 members and a 3,000-seat sanctuary. Senior Pastor Michael David Bailey welcomed Fazio, running mate Matt Corey and a small group of local Republicans to his private study, according to CT Public.

Dr. Sweets Wilson, chair of the Hartford Republican town committee, served as Fazio's local guide.

Greenwich ties

Fazio grew up in Greenwich, attended Greenwich High School and played varsity baseball as a left-handed pitcher. First Selectman Fred Camillo umpired some of his high school games.

Camillo recalled a post-2018-election conversation in which Fazio called him to discuss policy ideas. Fazio struck him as "young and smart and interested in public policy, not just in running to be something," Camillo said.

Fazio graduated from Northwestern University in 2012 with a degree in economics and won his state Senate seat in a special election in August 2021. His district includes Greenwich and New Canaan. His first general election ad features him and fiancée Amy Orser outside the two-bedroom starter home he bought in Riverside.

Policy and long odds

Fazio favors school choice and tutored middle-school students at KIPP Academy in the South Bronx after college. He opposes single-payer health care and has questioned whether offshore wind benefits electric ratepayers, according to CT Public.

He claims credit for $100 million in ratepayer savings through a bipartisan energy bill that reduced the public benefits charge. After that bill passed, Lamont publicly credited Fazio, calling him "somebody we were able to work with," CT Public reported.

Fazio argues Lamont shifted to the left on budgetary issues over the past two years. CT Public reported that Lamont legally exceeded the state spending cap to increase Medicaid and municipal spending and moved nearly $1.3 billion off budget for child care and human services. Lamont has also maintained a $4.5 billion budget reserve and used $2.9 billion in surplus funds to reduce the state's unfunded pension liability.

No one has unseated a sitting Connecticut governor in 72 years. The last Republican to win the office, John G. Rowland in 1994, did so in an open race.

At Rehobeth's post-service parking-lot gathering, congregant Kirlew Alexander told Fazio he was skeptical of the candidate's plan to limit property-tax exemptions for some nonprofits, including universities and hospitals. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.