You could feel the buzz inside New Britain Stadium, as the city's former mayor Erin Stewart officially announced her run for governor.

"Why? Because it's time for something different," Stewart says. "I am proud to stand before you and announce that I am running to be the next governor of the great state of Connecticut."

The mother of two spoke passionately to a room full of supporters for about 20 minutes about a wide range of topics, focusing mainly on the affordability crisis in the state.

"Working families are struggling, young people are leaving, and seniors are being priced out of the very communities that they built," Stewart says. "We're going to change that."

She even took some swings at the current leadership in Hartford.

"How about the opportunity to live in a town where zoning decisions aren't being made by Ned Lamont and the Hartford clowns?" Stewart asked. "Connecticut deserves better than second place."

The Nutmeg State hasn't had a Republican governor since Jodi Rell left office in 2011, but Stewart says her track record of turning New Britain around speaks for itself.

"We balanced budgets year after year," Stewart says. "We rebuilt five schools from the ground up, and we transformed neighborhoods in some of the poorest areas in the city."

There's already one other Republican in the race with Greenwich State Sen. Ryan Fazio also running.

Gov. Ned Lamont will have to fend off a primary challenge from state rep Josh Elliot on the Democratic side.